A high school runner in Virginia has been charged after she struck an opponent in the head with a baton during a relay event.
Alaila Everett, a senior at I.C. Norcom High School in Portsmouth was charged with assault and battery for the incident that has gone viral.
On Tuesday, March 4, Everett was running the second leg of the 4x200-meter relay at the Virginia State High School League Championships when she struck Kaelen Tucker, a junior from Brookville High School, in the head, ABC News reported. The meet was held at Liberty University in Lynchburg.
Tucker was diagnosed with a concussion, she told WVEC.
"I was so in disbelief," Tucker said to WVEC. "I didn't know what happened."
Everett contended the baton strike was an accident in an interview that aired Tuesday on "Good Morning America."
"I would never do that on purpose," Everett said on the show. "That's not in my character. Her arm was literally hitting the baton — until she got a little ahead, and my arm got stuck like this," she said while holding a baton to show what happened.
The family told "Good Morning America" Tucker was running too closely, causing Everett to lose her balance and hit her with the baton. Tucker's parents told WVEC the athletic director at Everett's high school and Everett's father apologized to the family.
The Virginia High School league said in a statement that it was reviewing the incident.
"The VHSL membership has always made it a priority to provide student-athletes with a safe environment for competition," the league said.
The Portsmouth NAACP said Everett has received death threats.
"From all accounts, [Everett] is an exceptional young leader and scholar whose athletic talent has been well documented and recognized across our state," the Portsmouth NAACP said to ABC News. "She has carried herself with integrity both on and off the field, and any narrative that adjudicates her guilty of any criminal activity is a violation of her due process rights."
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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