She said it was an accident and maybe if the incident didn’t go viral so quickly, Alaila Everett’s high school track meet might not have turned into a nightmare.
Instead of being suspended from participating in sports, a high school track athlete now faces a misdemeanor charge of assault and battery after a now-viral video showed her striking a competitor’s head with her baton during a relay event.
Video Of HS Track Star Alaila Everett Striking Kaelen Tucker With Baton Goes Viral
The incident went viral, opening the lane for thousands of different opinions.
Everett, a senior at I.C. Norcom High School in Portsmouth, was running the second leg of the 4×200-meter relay when her baton smashed into the head of Kaelen Tucker, a junior from Brookville High School, causing a concussion and stress to the skull.
The incident happened March 4 during the Virginia State High School League Championships at Liberty University in Lynchburg.
Everett Denies That Her Actions On Track Were Intentional
After a demand of an apology from Tucker’s family, Everett took to social media to explain that she lost her balance and struck her opponent accidentally. However, to most observers the video evidence strongly suggests it was the intention actions of a frustrated runner who was losing ground.
City Of Lynchburg Files Assault Charges Against Track Star Alaila Everett
Bethany Harrison, the commonwealth’s attorney for the city of Lynchburg, confirmed to ABC News on Wednesday that a misdemeanor charge of assault and battery was issued against Everett in the matter.
Additional details on the case were not immediately available.
Damning video shows Tucker stumbling and reaching for her head after being struck by the baton and then going off the track in a daze. She immediately dropped her baton and was observed by medical personnel shortly after the incident.
“I was so in disbelief,” Tucker told WVEC. “I didn’t know what happened.”
Everett’s family are not going out without a fight. They claim the video shows that Tucker’s close proximity to their daughter is what initiated an accidental collision.
The Everett Family Will Fight Charges: Runners Were Too Close
According to the family, Tucker is to blame for running too close to Everett when she attempted to move ahead in the race, which caused Everett to lose her balance and the baton to make inadvertent contact with Tucker.
Following the incident, the athletic director at I.C. Norcom High School and Everett’s father apologized to the Tucker family in a phone call, according to Tucker’s parents.
Despite the criminal charges, The Virginia High School League told ABC News on Monday that it is 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 in a statement.
The incident traveled around the world quickly and without most people understanding anything about track or how often something like this occurs. Social media was unforgiving and painted a young lady they barely know as a villain, so we can only imagine what private messages Everett and the family received since.
Portsmouth NAACP Is Investigating Racial Slurs and Death Threats Towards Everett
The Portsmouth NAACP said it is also reviewing the incident as well as “racial slurs and death threats” toward the Everett family.
“We are committed collectively to ensuring that the criminal justice system, which we feel is not warranted in this situation, is executed fairly and based on due process,” the organization said in a statement on Wednesday while calling for Everett to be “void of any criminal proceedings.”
“From all accounts, she is an exceptional young leader and scholar whose athletic talent has been well-documented and recognized across our state,” the Portsmouth NAACP said. “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.”
