Aquavis Hickman is being tried as an adult.
An American high school student who attacked two teachers in school buildings has been charged with assault and kidnapping, according to a report in Fox News. The outlet said the attacks took place at Parkland High School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. A video of 17-year-old Aquavis Hickman punching one of the classroom teachers in April had gone viral on social media, sparking a barrage of comments. Hickman is being tried as an adult and his case has been moved from juvenile court to superior court.
Watch the video:
NEW: A North Carolina high school student who went viral for punching his teacher has been charged with misdemeanor assault and will be charged as an adult.
This is how it’s done.
17-year-old Aquavis Hickman has been charged with assault and kidnapping for two separate… pic.twitter.com/JOsO0bFiKX
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 5, 2024
“Last week, last Monday, a grand jury was convened, made up of members of this community, and the grand jury returned two indictments against the defendant in this case, Aquavis Hickman,” said Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O ‘Neill, during a meeting press conference.
Mr O’Neill said Hickman ‘unlawfully confined and restrained’ the female teacher on April 15 with the intention of terrorizing her. That defendant was also charged under that same bill with assaulting a public official, who was a teacher, and finally communicating threats against that teacher.”
The paralegal 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 cause a reasonable person to believe that threat was likely to be carried out, and the person threatened believed that it would indeed be carried out.”
The viral video shared on social media shows Hickman violently hitting his teacher twice and abusing her.
After the teen punches the teacher, she is heard asking, “Do you think this affected me in any way?” “Do you want me to hit you again?” Hickman answers, coming forward and repeating the question. “I don’t want it,” the teacher says, but he hits her again. He hit her so hard that glasses flew off her face as the teen continued his blasphemous tirade.
“Nobody’s even coming. You’re beaten. B****, go back to teaching,” Hickman says.
With the arrest and indictment of Hickman, the police want to send a strong message.
“Our message to our community is simple. We stand with teachers. We will fight to protect those teachers. And if you touch a teacher and assault a teacher, you can expect the punishment to be swift and severe,” said he. Mr O’Neill.
School district officials declined to comment on the case or Hickman’s arrest.
