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A student in Louisiana is facing felony charges after reportedly assaulting a disabled teacher in the classroom.
Larriana Jackson, 18, was arrested and charged earlier this month for battery of a school teacher after she was caught on camera in what police described as a "pre-meditated" attack on a 64-year-old wheelchair-bound teacher at Covington High School, per FOX 8 Live. The previous charge, which could see Jackson penalized by up to six months in jail, was upgraded to more serious felony charges that, if convicted, could result in a prison sentence up to 10 years.
According to District Attorney Warren Montgomery's office, the teen is charged with felony second-degree battery and cruelty to the infirmed. The alleged attack occurred earlier this month with Jackson participating in the "Slap a Teacher" challenge on TikTok.
Video of the attack was captured by another student and went viral, leading police to arrest Jackson as well as 18-year-old Trinity Gervais and a juvenile suspect, the news outlet reports. Gervais and the other student face a misdemeanor charge of unlawful posting of criminal activity for notoriety and publicity. In the video, the teacher was repeatedly punched and thrown to the ground, resulting in her getting badly bruised and being rushed to the hospital for treatment. She has since been released from the hospital, but it is unclear if she will return to the classroom.
"I was just devastated to know what our teachers go through on a day-to-day basis just to educated students," said Frank Jabbia, superintendent of St. Tammany Schools. "For this teacher to be having a conversation with a student and then to be assaulted in this manner was very disturbing."
Schools across the country have been dealing with various challenges and "trends" on the social media app, commonly referred to as "devious licks." TikTok has called the attacks "an insult" and plans to remove any content that is posted on the app.