Rob Fox
A California teacher at Maywood Academy High School in southeast Los Angeles has been arrested after a video was taken of him punching a 14-year-old student during an altercation in class. The music teacher, Marston Riley, 64, is seen confronting the student, whom he was instructing to leave his classroom for not wearing the proper uniform.
Videos by Rare
According to students in the class, the student Riley assaulted then talks back to Riley and uses a racial slur, which then prompted Riley, who is black, to punch the student.
A short video shows the fight between the 14-year-old boy and the teacher, going halfway around the classroom, with both the adult and kid landing punches against each other before Riley finally gets on top of the student and begins punching him in the head repeatedly. A campus resource officer and several students attempt to break up the fight while Riley continues to punch the student.
Riley was arrested by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department on charges of child abuse. He posted bond and will be arraigned on November 30th. The boy was taken to a local hospital where he was treated for moderate injuries. He was later released. The Los Angeles Unified School District released a statement saying they were disturbed by the incident and have made crisis counselors available to students.
Friends of Riley have started a Gofundme for the music teacher in order to pay his legal fees. They claim this is not the first time Riley has been assaulted or has been on the receiving end of racial slurs while teaching at the school.
It doesn’t really feel like anyone is in the right here based on the circumstances, but also you probably shouldn’t punch a child in the head if you’re an adult.
