Virginia high school student shaken after brutal attack by bullies caught on camera goes viral
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. - A heartbreaking case of bullying is made even worse after a brutal attack Monday morning at a Spotsylvania County school was caught on camera. And much to that student's horror, that disturbing video is now viral on social media.
Just days into the new school year, a video taken at Massaponax High School shows a student being viciously assaulted as other students were heard taunting and laughing at the student.
FOX 5's Cori Coffin spoke exclusively with the victim, who didn't wait to be named for fear of retribution.
"She came up behind me and she pulled my hair and I don't remember anything else after that," she said.
The violent video shows a student grab another student's hair from behind and slam her onto the ground while shouting, "Or what? Or what?"
The video shows the student continued to attack her as other students watched, filmed and laughed at the encounter.
The video seen in FOX 5's report featured three skull emojis and the student filming can be heard saying, "B**** is weak!"
"It was sickening to me," said the victim's mother. "I was sick to my stomach. I have to hold her phone because she's getting messages from people at other schools. Threatening messages. They're making fun of her. They're making memes that they put on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat. This thing has gone around the whole school."
The girl's mom said her daughter has been dealing with bullying at the school since last year.
"They actually did something about that one," she added. "They removed her from the school. I thought this one would be better. It was not. I've been getting texts from my daughter every day at school that she's being bullied."
She's trying to get surveillance video of the entire incident because she fears teachers and faculty in the halls at the time did nothing to stop the attack.
FOX 5 reached out to Spotsylvania County Public School and Massaponax High School's principal said he was responsive to the mother's concerns, the School Resource Officer took a report, and the student who initiated the attack was expelled, per the school's code of conduct policy.
But the victim's family worries that's not going to be enough.
"I just want it to stop," her mother said. "I'm scared to send my daughter back to school now."
"I've had people tell me I shouldn't return to Massaponax because she's got other friends who can jump me," the victim added.
The victim will remain homeschooled until she recovers from a concussion she sustained during the attack, according to her family. The family has retained a lawyer as they wait to hear what if any charges, the attacker in the video will face.