Crime & Safety
Girl Arrested, Charged In High School Video Attack
The 15-year-old appeared in a video that spread virally online that appears to show her punching another student in a school locker room.
LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — A 15-year-old girl has been arrested and charged with battery in a Gwinnett County high school attack that was recorded on video and went viral on social media.
The student, at Archer High School in Lawrenceville, has been identified online but her name is not being released by Gwinnett County school officials because student information is private. Patch is not naming the girl because of her age.
School officials had said Monday that charges were pending against the girl because of the incident, which happened at the school on Friday and came to their attention over the weekend when the video was widely shared on Twitter.
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According to a Gwinnett County Schools Police report, the attack happened at about 1 p.m. Friday. The student was placed under arrest at about 10:15 a.m. Monday, according to the report. The victim in the case is 14 years old, the report said.
In the video, a girl approaches another female student who is sitting on a locker room bench and appears to say, "Do you think you could kick my ---?"
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"I don't know," the seated student responds. "I wouldn't want to."
The attacker then says, "Why are you so scared?" and, while the other girl is still sitting, punches her in the eye. The victim screams and other students come to her aide as the attacker appears to leave the room.
According to the police report, the student accused of the assault outweighs the victim by about 40 pounds.
On Monday, Archer High School principal Ken Johnson said in a letter to the school community that officials took immediate disciplinary action when the attack came to light.
"I appreciate those of you who have reached out to us to make sure we are aware of this incident," Johnson said in his letter. "Like you, we believe that this type of behavior is not acceptable and I want to reassure you that we already have taken swift and appropriate action."
The video of the attack spread quickly on Twitter, with some posts receiving tens of thousands of retweets and likes.
Photo courtesy Gwinnett County Public Schools
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