PALM COAST, Fla. — A Flagler County high school student was arrested after attacking a paraprofessional school employee at Matanzas High School, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
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Deputies said they were called to the school Tuesday after reports that a school employee had been attacked on campus.
When deputies arrived at the school, they said they found a woman on the ground with severe injuries.
Deputies said she was the victim of an unprovoked attack by a 17-year-old student.
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The student was escorted from the area and later placed into custody, deputies said.
They said the student stated that he was upset because the school employee took his Nintendo Switch away from him during class.
Officials said video footage from within the school shows the student -- who is approximately 6 feet, 6 inches tall and weighs 270 pounds -- is shown walking quickly toward the victim, pushing her and knocking her to the floor, which knocked her unconscious.
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The student is then seen in the video kicking and punching the unconscious victim several times in the back of the head, officials said.
Deputies said others rushed in to help the woman who was unconscious during the entire assault and unable to protect herself.
The victim was taken to a hospital for treatment.
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“The actions of this student are absolutely horrendous and completely uncalled for,” said Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly. “We hope the victim will be able to recover, both mentally and physically, from this incident. Thankfully, students and staff members came to the victim’s aid before the SRDs could arrive. Our schools should be a safe place -- for both employees and students.”
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