A 17-year-old special needs student has been accused of violently attacking a teacher's aide at a Flagler County school, rendering her unconscious.
The incident occurred at Matanzas High School when the paraprofessional took away the student's Nintendo game, according to NBC affiliate WESH-TV.
Shocking surveillance footage shows the student chasing the teacher's aide into the hallway after she took his Nintendo Switch away.
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly watched the video and said, "Quite frankly, it was shocking."
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The report states the student pushed the woman with such force that she was knocked five to six feet into the air, causing her to lose consciousness, WESH-TV reports.
"This could have been a homicide," Staly said. "When you push people down like that, and they hit their head, you never know the outcome."
The surveillance footage shows the student continuing to assault the teacher's aide while she was lying helpless on the ground.
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Authorities say he kicked her, got on top of her, and punched her in the body and back of the head approximately 15 times.
The student is described by FCSO as being 6 feet and 7 inches tall and weighing 270 pounds.
The school has two resource deputies on campus, but due to the campus's large size, authorities say it took several minutes for them to arrive.
“Fortunately, other students and other faculty members, administrators came and intervened,” Staly said.
The student is facing a felony aggravated battery charge and possible school discipline, including expulsion, WESH-TV reports. After the incident, he reportedly started to spit at the victim and threatened to kill her when he returned.
The school district has not disclosed any information about the aide's current condition for privacy reasons. However, she has reportedly been with the district since 2004, but only recently became a teacher's aide, starting at Matanzas in 2021.
The district is also not releasing any information about the student involved in the attack due to confidentiality concerns.
