Bombshell twist after high school athlete’s ugly midrace baton attack

The high school athlete at the centre of a relay race attack could be set for further punishment in a stunning twist to the viral incident.

The high school sprinter accused of smacking her opponent on the back of the head with a baton in America has reportedly been charged with assault and battery.

Alaila Everett was running the second leg for I.C. Norcom High School girl’s 4×200m relay team when she allegedly hit Kaelen Tucker at the Virginia State Indoor Championships on March 4.

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The incident quickly sent the internet into a frenzy and now in a stunning twist, Everett has been charged with assault and battery, according to 6ABC News.

According to the report no court date has yet been set.

Watch the on track incident in the video player above

The two runners had been jostling for second position when their tussle boiled over as they came around the final bend.

As Tucker attempted to swoop around the outside of her rival and move into lane one, in front of Everett, the I.C. Norcom athlete freed her right arm before swinging wildly.

“When we got to the curve she kept bumping me in my arm and when we got off the curve I finally passed her and that was when she hit me with the baton,” Tucker explained to WSLS.

The moment Alaila freed her arm before swinging the baton.

The moment the baton struck Tucker on the back of the head.

After being struck, Tucker grabbed at the back of her head before she stumbled and fell to the ground on the inside of the track.

Everett’s arm made another bashing motion, missing Tucker’s head for a second hit and dropping her baton and she ran past her ailing opponent, pointing at her.

Doctors examined Tucker after the race and diagnosed her with a concussion and “possible skull fracture.”

Judges spotted the foul immediately, and disqualified the Norcom team for what is known as “contact interference”.

A lip-reader has since revealed the four words Everett said to her opponent as the on-track incident played out.

While the speed at which the girls were running and the distance the camera was away from the track hampered the audio and video quality, one expert believes she figured out what Everett said.

“Get off” and “hey oh,” the runner uttered as she struck Tucker, LipReader founder Nicola Hickling told the Daily Mail.

Kaelen Tucker says her opponent has not apologised.

Everett, a senior, claimed in a tearful interview that the act wasn’t intentional however fans were not buying the excuse.

“I know my intentions and I would never hit someone on purpose,” Everett told WAVY.com.

Everett claimed she was the target of death threats and racial slurs after the incident went viral.

“Everybody has feelings, so you’re physically hurt, but you’re not thinking of my mental,” she told the outlet.

She says she tried to reach out to Tucker but was blocked on social media.

“They are assuming my character, calling me ‘ghetto’ and racial slurs, death threats … all of this off of a nine-second video,” she said.

Alaila Everett said the act was not intentional.

Tucker and her parents were upset with Everett and the IC Norcum head coach as they didn’t apologise or approach the injured runner after the race.

“They were beside us at the event. They were watching the video at the event, but no one apologised or came to check on her,” the Tucker’s parents told WSLS. “Even if it was a fluke or freak accident, you still would check on her.”

The Tuckers served Everett and her family with court papers requesting a protective order, according to WAVY.

The incident culminated with IC Norcum being disqualified from the race.

- with the NY Post

Originally published as Bombshell twist after high school athlete’s ugly midrace baton attack