A high school track athlete faces an allegation of attacks and an abuse of the battery after a one-viral video, showing her during a relay event hitting the head of a contestant with her baton.
A senior, Alela Everett at the IC Norkom High School in Portsmouth was running the second phase of the 4×200-meter relay, when his baton hit a junior of Kalen Tucker, Brookville High School. It took place on March 4 during the Virginia State High School League Championship at Liberty University in Lynchberg.
Bethani Harrison, a lawyer of the city of Lynchberg city, confirmed ABC News on Wednesday that an allegation of attack against Everett in the case and a battery rape was issued.
Additional details on the case were not available immediately.
On March 4, 2025, Virginia State High School League Championship from a video of 4×200-meter relay, when the baton was occurred.
Milesplit
In the video of the incident, Tucker was shocked before going out of the track and shown after reaching her head. He dropped his baton and shortly after the incident, medical personnel participated. He later came to know about a fusion, he told ABC Hampton, Virginia, the concerned WVEC.
“I was in mistrust,” Tucker told WVEC. “I didn’t know what happened.”
Averett said the baton strike was an accident in an interview that broadcast on “Good Morning America” on Tuesday.
“I will never do this,” said Aleret. “It’s not in my character.”
The 18 -year -old said that during the race, his arm got stuck, and his baton inadvertently hit a tucker near the corner of the track.
“Her arm was really killing the baton – until she took a little further, and my arm stuck in this way,” she said holding a baton to emphasize the movement.
A senior, Alela Everett at the IC Norkom High School in Portsmouth, Virginia, speaks with ABC News in an interview on “Good Morning America” on March 11, 2025.
ABC
Averett says that he believes that his video shows that Kalen’s closeness to Alala had a accidental collision. According to the family, the tucker was walking very close to the averate when he tried to cut further, due to which the Everett lost his balance and to make contact with the baton with a tucker.
After this incident, the athletic director of IC Norcom High School and Aleret’s father, according to Takkar’s parents, apologized to the Tucker family in a phone call.
Virginia High School League on Monday told ABC News that she was reviewing the incident.
“VHSL’s membership has always made a priority to provide a student-athlete with a safe environment for competition,” League said in a statement.
Partsmouth NAACP said it is also reviewing the incident as well as “racial slarses and death threats” towards the Everate family.
The organization said in a statement on Wednesday, “We are collectively committed to ensure that the criminal justice system, which we feel that this situation is not warrant, executed fairly and is based on the fixed process,”
Partsmouth NACP said, “From all accounts, he is an extraordinary young leader and scholar whose athletic talent is well documented and recognized in our state.” “She has shut down himself on the field with integrity and any story that confesses to any criminal activity is a violation of its proper procedure rights.”
ABC News’ Victoria Aranco contributed to this report.
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