The Virginia teenage track runner who struck an opponent in the head with a baton during a race last week has been charged with assault and battery.
Alaila Everett, a track competitor from I.C. Norcom High School in Lynchburg, Virginia, made headlines earlier this week when a video of her smashing a baton into the head of a fellow runner went viral. The opposing runner, Brookville High School junior Kaelen Tucker, suffered a concussion and possible skull fracture.
Everett faces one misdemeanor count of assault and battery.
The video set off a torrent of social media reactions, prompting Everett to take to the airwaves and proclaim her innocence.
On Tuesday, Everett appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America, saying it was not “in her character” to attack another person unprovoked. Everett is not alone in defending herself. The Portsmouth NAACP has also taken up her cause.
“Alaila is NOT AN ATTACKER and media headlines that allude towards that in any way is shameful. We understand the sensitivity of the circumstances for both athletes and their families involved but this narrative must not go unaddressed,” a statement from the group read.
“Alaila is an honor student and a star athlete at the historic I.C. Norcom High School. From all accounts, she is an exceptional young leader and scholar whose athletic talent has been well documented and recognized across our state. She has carried herself with integrity both on and off the field, and any narrative that adjudicates her guilty of any criminal activity is a violation of her due process rights.”
Everett claims the baton strike occurred because she got stuck behind Tucker and lost her balance.
“After a couple times of hitting her, my baton got stuck behind her back like this, and it rolled up her back. I lost my balance when I pumped my arms again. She got hit,” Everett said in an interview told WAVY. “I know my intentions and I would never hit someone on purpose.”
While Everett understands the concerns for the injuries she inflicted on Tucker, she also says not enough attention is being paid to her suffering.
“Everybody has feelings, so you’re physically hurt, but you’re not thinking of my mental,” Everett said. “They are assuming my character, calling me ghetto and racial slurs, death threats… all of this off of a nine-second video.”