ABC News(PONCHATOULA, La.) — School administrators in Louisiana say they are investigating the aggressive takedown of a female middle school student caught on video this week.
The video, shot at Ponchatoula Junior High School, on the northwest side of Lake Pontchartrain, shows a man slinging the student to the ground and placing his knee on her chest as he pins her arms to the ground.
Just as disturbing, the man, identified as a coach at the school, can be heard aggressively shouting at the student and threatening more violence.
“You’re gonna be still or I’m gonna stomp your a– on this concrete,” he is heard threatening.
Another adult is seen holding the girl’s legs in the air.
The coach is heard yelling, “Calm down and I’m gonna let you up.”
“It just traumatized her,” the student’s mother, Althea Abron, told ABC News. “She’s having a hard time. She doesn’t feel safe.”
The Tangipahoa Parish School System said it was conducting a “thorough” investigation of the incident.
“We are deeply saddened by the incident on the video,” Melissa Stilley, superintendent of schools, told ABC News in a statement. “This behavior does not represent the expectations we have for the adults and students on our campus. We are conducting a thorough investigation into the incident, and actions are being taken.”
Stilley told New Orleans ABC affiliate WGNO-TV that the school would “continue to work together to create a safe environment for all stakeholders.”
It is not clear what led up to the incident between the adult and student. The coach has not been identified.
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