ARMSTRONG COUNTY, Pa. — A teenage student at Leechburg High School is charged as a juvenile with simple assault, harassment and disorderly conduct after a disturbing cellphone video showed him picking up and slamming another student’s head into the ground.
Police tell Channel 11 this happened Tuesday morning in a hallway in the school. The video shows two kids scuffling with each other, but things escalate quickly. The suspect then pins the victim against the wall and grips around his neck until his face turns red. Then in a single, swift movement, the student lifts up the victim and slams his head into the ground. You see the victim lying on his back in the hallway. His eyes are wide open and he appears dazed. The victim is seen grabbing his head in pain. Several kids are laughing, and nobody helps him. You then see the teen try to sit up, but he’s wobbly. He eventually climbs up, bracing himself against the wall. You then hear a teacher yelling for the kids to get to class. Ava Carrington is a student at the school.
“To be cracking someone’s skull open in a fight, it’s just crazy,” Carrington tells Channel 11. “It was really shocking because I was walking down the hallway and I didn’t really know what they were talking about. He did have a lot of injuries, that’s what I heard.”
Police tell Channel 11 the student wasn’t taken to the hospital until after school and while there are several resource officers, some parents are asking, where were they?
“I’ve never not felt safe, but after I heard that story, I was just shocked. I was just ‘wow,’” Carrington adds.
Parents say they weren’t notified this happened and they feel left in the dark. The superintendent of the district sent Channel 11 a statement reading:
“The district has responded accordingly and handled the situation as it is dictated in our student handbook and by the law.”
The police department says more students could be charged if they can identify who took the video. Police say they’re working with the school district to do that.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
This browser does not support the video element.