Aquavis Hickman is being tried as an adult.
A US high school student who attacked two teachers on school premises has been charged with assault and kidnapping, according to a Fox News report. The news outlet said the attacks occurred at Parkland High School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. A video of 17-year-old Aquavis Hickman hitting one of his teachers in class in April went viral on social media, sparking a flood of comments. Hickman is being tried as an adult and his case has been transferred from juvenile court to superior court.
Watch the video:
NEW: A North Carolina high school student who went viral for hitting his teacher has been charged with a crime and is being charged as an adult.
That’s how it’s done.
Aquavis Hickman, 17, was indicted on assault and kidnapping charges for two… pic.twitter.com/JOsO0bFiKX
-Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 5, 2024
“A grand jury was convened last week, last Monday, made up of members of this community and the grand jury returned two indictments against the defendant now in this case, Aquavis Hickman,” said Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O ‘Neill, in a statement. Press conference.
O’Neill said Hickman “unlawfully confined and restrained” the teacher on April 15 “for the purpose of terrorizing her. This defendant was also indicted in the same bill for assaulting a government employee, who was a teacher, and finally communicate threats against that teacher.”
The legal officer said the student told the teacher he was going to kill her, and that the “threat was made in a manner and under circumstances that would make a reasonable person believe the threat was likely to be carried out, and the person threatening believed it would be, In fact, accomplished.”
The viral video shared on social media shows Hickman savagely slapping his teacher twice and also abusing her.
After the teen slaps the teacher, she asks, “Do you think this affected me in any way?” “Do you want me to hit you again?” Hickman responds, as he approaches and repeats the question. “I don’t want that,” says the teacher, but hits her again. He hit her so hard that her glasses flew off her face as the teen continued his expletive-filled rant.
“No one comes. You got slapped. Bitch, go back to teaching,” Hickman says.
With Hickman’s arrest and indictment, police want to send a strong message.
“Our message to our community is simple. We support teachers. We will fight to protect them. And if you lay your hand on a teacher and assault them, you can expect the punishment to be swift and severe,” said Mr. O’ Neill.
School district officials declined to comment on the case or Hickman’s arrest.
This story originally appeared on Ndtv.com read the full story