Everything we know about runner who 'attacked' opponent with baton before she was officially charged
Now that high school student Alaila Everett has been hit with charges for striking her competitor's head with a baton, here's everything we know about the incident so far.
The dramatic scene unfolded during the second leg of the 4x200-meter relay race during the Virginia State High School League Championships at Liberty University in Lynchburg. Footage from the event shows Everett and a fellow runner, Kaelen Tucker, making their way down the track when Everett's baton struck Tucker across the head, causing her to fall to the floor.
Check out the footage below:
Who is Alaila Everett?
A track athlete and senior in high school, Everett joined the championship event to represent I.C. Norcom High School in Portsmouth.
Who is Kaelen Tucker?
Everett's opponent in the race was Tucker, a junior who entered the competition to represent Brookeville High School. After she was struck by the baton, Tucker was diagnosed with a concussion and a potential skull fracture.
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What has Tucker said about the incident?
After the incident, Tucker described her version of events in an interview with WSLS.
She explained: "When you go to the other side of the track, you have to cross into lane one, you have to merge in. As I was coming up on her, she kind of like made me get cut off a little bit, so I backed away.
"Then, as we got around the curve, she kept bumping me in my arm. Then finally we got off the curve, I like slowly started passing her and then that’s when she just hit me with the baton and I fell off the track.
"I could feel like a headache coming up, so I just sat out. I recently went to the doctor, and they prescribed me with a concussion and a possible fractured skull."
What has Everett said about the incident?
For her part, Everett has insisted that she didn't mean to hit Tucker with the baton.
Speaking to WAVY-TV 10, she said: "After a couple times of hitting [Tucker] with my baton, I got stuck behind her back [...] and it rolled up her back. I lost my balance, and when I pumped my arms again, she got hit.
"I know my intentions and I would never hit somebody on purpose," Everett added.
What has Everett been charged with?
As an investigation into the incident continues, the commonwealth's attorney for the city of Lynchburg confirmed charges against Everett.
In a statement to ABC News, attorney Bethany Harrison said the high schooler had been charged with misdemeanor assault and battery.
What have authorities said about the incident?
Tucker's parents have received an apology from both the athletic director at I.C. Norcom High School and Everett's father in the wake of the incident, though other officials remain involved.
The Virginia High School League has said it is reviewing the incident, telling ABC News: "The VHSL membership has always made it a priority to provide student-athletes with a safe environment for competition."
Meanwhile, the Portsmouth NAACP has said it is looking into the incident as well as alleged 'racial slurs and death threats' that have been aimed at the Everett family.
In a statement, the organization said: "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.
"From all accounts, she is an exceptional young leader and scholar whose athletic talent has been well-documented and recognized across our state. 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."
Emily Brown