What began as a viral video of a student athlete smacking a fellow runner upside the head with a baton on the track field has now developed into a pending criminal case. The alleged attacker in question is facing some serious trouble.
I.C. Norcom High School senior Alaila Everett was seen in a viral video running a relay and coming up hot on another runner who appeared to get hit on the head multiple times by her baton during the 4x200 meter event in Lynchburg, Va. The runner then dove off the track field and fell to the ground. The alleged victim was identified as Brookville High School junior Kaelen Tucker, per The New York Post.
A lip reading expert, Nicola Hickling, claims Everett shouted “Get off” and “Hey, oh” as she came up on Tucker, per The Daily Mail.
As a result of the incident, the commonwealth attorney for Lynchburg says Tucker suffered a concussion and possibly a fractured skull, per WTKR. Now, it is stipulated whether the incident was an honest accident of the two runners bumping into one another or an alleged assault.
Everett insists the incident was an accident, explaining that the baton struck Tucker as she ran closer and closer to Everett’s lane.
“After a couple times of hitting her, my baton got stuck behind her back like this, and it rolled up her back. I lost my balance when I pumped my arms again. She got hit,” Everett said in a teary-eyed interview with WAVY. “I know my intentions and I would never hit someone on purpose.”
Also defending Everett is the Portsmouth NAACP who argued she was not an attacker but highlighted her academic achievements and said she “carried herself with integrity both on and off the field,” per a statement.
Despite the defense, WAVY’s report says the entire I.C. Norcom High School team was disqualified and the Everett family was served a protective order from the Tuckers. According to WTKR, Everett was also criminally charged with one count of assault and battery.