A Florida teacher and vice principal have been arrested on child abuse charges after a shocking video of the teacher allegedly holding a student in a chokehold emerged following an alleged attempt to cover it up.
Students caught Bennie Leverett, a teacher at Progress Village Middle School, on camera in his classroom wrestling a male pupil to the ground and restricting “his ability to breathe” on January 18, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release.
The student was 14 years old at the time of the incident, according to a police report that the Daily Mail obtained.
The footage, which authorities shared on Facebook, allegedly shows the chaotic incident playing out as other kids shout and beg Leverett to stop:
While allegedly holding the student on the floor, the 39-year-old teacher claims that the child “didn’t respond” to him, to which other students yell back, “He can’t!”
“He can’t! He’s dying! You’re killing him!” the girl behind the camera can be heard saying.