LYNCHBURG, Va. – Alaila Everett, the I.C. Norcom High School senior and track star, is facing charges stemming from the now viral incident that took place at the Class 3 State Finals at Liberty University.
According to the Lynchburg Commonwealth’s Attorney Office, a petition for one count of assault and battery has been issued against Everett.
On Friday, 10 News told you about Kaelen Tucker, the Brookville High School junior who was struck in the back of the head by Everett’s baton.
The footage shows I.C. Norcom High School student Alaila Everett running alongside Tucker in the 4x200-meter relay race when the incident unfolded. In it, Everett is seen swinging her baton and smacking it against the back of Tucker’s head as the pair rounded the corner. Tucker said she was diagnosed with a concussion and a possible fractured skull following this race.
As the now viral video continues to garner both local and national attention, Tucker and Everett have each given their accounts of what happened on that track at Liberty University.
Tucker gave the following account to 10 News on Friday:
“When you go to the other side of the track, you have to cross into lane one, you have to merge in. As I was coming up on her, she kind of like made me get cut off a little bit, so I backed away,” Tucker said. “Then, as we got around the curve, she kept bumping me in my arm. Then finally we got off the curve, I like slowly started passing her and then that’s when she just hit me with the baton and I fell off the track.”
In an interview with WAVY in Portsmouth, Everett called the incident an accident, stating that she and Tucker nearly collided when rounding the curve on the track and that it wasn’t intentional.
”After a couple of times of hitting her, my baton got stuck behind her back, and it rolled up her back,” Everett explained. “I lost my balance when I pumped my arms again. She got hit.”
According to WAVY, the NAACP of Portsmouth has come out in support of Everett, stating, “Alaila is not an attacker” and calling the possibility of charges being filed “concerning” and “not warranted.”
The Virginia High School League (VHSL) is still investigating the incident and, in a statement to 10 News, said the following:
“We don’t comment on individuals or disciplinary actions. The actions taken by the meet director were appropriate and correctly applied.” The situation is still being reviewed and is being called “a serious issue, especially when it involves the safety of athletes in competitions.”
10 News will continue to update this story as we get more information.