Runner who 'attacked' opponent with baton officially charged after claiming it was an accident
The high school student who is alleged to have 'attacked' her opponent with a baton during a race, has been charged.
On Tuesday March 4, Brookville High School runner Kaelen Tucker suffered a concussion and a potential skull fracture after she was struck by a baton in the back of the head during the second leg of a 4x200 meter relay at Liberty University, Lynchburg.
The incident was captured in a now viral video, which clearly shows the teen getting hit by a competitor - although Alaila Everett, of I.C. Norcom High School, has insisted it was accidental.
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However, new footage has since been released that Everett claims exonerates her of any wrongdoing.
Speaking to WAVY-TV 10, she said: "After a couple times of hitting [Tucker] with my baton, I got stuck behind her back like this and it rolled up her back.
"I lost my balance, and when I pumped my arms again, she got hit."
She further insisted: "I know my intentions and I would never hit somebody on purpose."
Now, the commonwealth's attorney for Lynchburg, Bethany Harrison, has confirmed that Everett has been charged with misdemeanor assault and battery.
The Virginia High School League is said to be reviewing the incident, as well as the Portsmouth National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
The NAACP is also looking into the Everett family being subjected to racial slurs and death threats.
Sharing her side of the events, Tucker told WSET ABC 13 on Friday (March 7): "So, on the back curve, I kind of got cut off, and I tried to pass her the first time, so I let her go ahead.
"I knew when I got fully on the curve that I was just going to have to push through past her. So, as we were coming up in the middle of the curve, we were bumping arms a lot. So, I got a little more on the outside of the curve to go around her.
"When I finally pushed through to get in front of her, that’s when she hit me in the head with the baton."
Everett’s parents believe her version of events, and have insisted she wouldn’t intentionally try and hit an opponent.
The parents have also said they have now been served with court papers from the family of Tucker, as they want a protective order.
Tucker's family have claimed Everett has not even attempted to apologize for the incident, however Everett has insisted she has attempted to, but that Tucker has not been 'receptive' and has blocked her on social media.
Joe Yates