A secondary school track professional athlete deals with an offense fee of attack and battery after a now-viral video clip revealed her striking a rival’s head with her baton throughout a relay occasion.
Alaila Everett, an elderly at I.C. Norcom Senior High School in Portsmouth, was running the 2nd leg of the 4×200-meter relay when her baton struck Kaelen Tucker, a junior from Brookville Senior high school, in the head. It took place March 4 throughout the Virginia State Senior High School Organization Championships free College in Lynchburg.
Bethany Harrison, the republic’s lawyer for the city of Lynchburg, validated to ABC Information on Wednesday that an offense fee of attack and battery was provided versus Everett in the issue.
Added information on the situation were not quickly readily available.
A still from a video clip of the 4×200-meter relay at the Virginia State Senior High School Organization Championships on March 4, 2025, when the baton occurrence happened.
MileSplit
Video clip of the occurrence revealed Tucker startling and grabbing her head after being struck prior to going off the track. She dropped her baton and was taken care of by clinical employees soon after the occurrence. She would certainly later on be identified with a blast, she informed ABC Hampton, Virginia, associate WVEC.
” I was so in shock,” Tucker informed WVEC. “I really did not recognize what took place.”
Everett competed that baton strike was a crash in a meeting that broadcast Tuesday on “Greetings America.”
” I would certainly never ever do that intentionally,” Everett stated. “That’s not in my personality.”
The 18-year-old stated that throughout the race, her arm came to be stuck, and her baton accidentally struck Tucker as they neared the edge of the track.
” Her arm was actually striking the baton– till she obtained a little in advance, and my arm obtained stuck such as this,” she stated while holding a baton to stress the activity.
Alaila Everett, an elderly at I.C. Norcom Senior High School in Portsmouth, Virginia, consults with ABC Information in a meeting that broadcast March 11, 2025, on “Greetings America.”
ABC
The Everetts claim they think their video clip reveals that Kaelen’s closeness to Alaila resulted in an unintentional crash. According to the family members, Tucker was running also near Everett when she attempted to reduce in advance, which triggered Everett to shed her equilibrium and the baton to reach Tucker.
Complying with the occurrence, the sports supervisor at I.C. Norcom Senior High School and Everett’s papa asked forgiveness to the Tucker family members in a call, according to Tucker’s moms and dads.
The Virginia Senior high school Organization informed ABC Information on Monday that it is examining the occurrence.
” The VHSL subscription has actually constantly made it a top priority to give student-athletes with a risk-free atmosphere for competitors,” the organization stated in a declaration.
The Portsmouth NAACP stated it is additionally examining the occurrence in addition to “racial slurs and fatality dangers” towards the Everett family members.
” We are dedicated jointly to making certain that the criminal justice system, which we really feel is not called for in this circumstance, is implemented relatively and based upon due procedure,” the company stated in a declaration on Wednesday while asking for Everett to be “devoid of any kind of criminal procedures.”
” From all accounts, she is an outstanding young leader and scholar whose sports skill has actually been well-documented and acknowledged throughout our state,” the Portsmouth NAACP stated. “She has actually lugged herself with honesty both on and off the area and any kind of story that settles her guilty of any kind of criminal task is an offense of her due procedure legal rights.”
ABC Information’ Victoria Arancio added to this record.
