Matanzas High student attacks, knocks teacher's aide unconscious after Nintendo Switch taken away: deputies

A Matanzas High School student is accused of violently attacking and knocking a school employee unconscious because she took his Nintendo Switch gaming console away from him during class, according to deputies.

The 17-year-old Palm Coast boy was arrested on a charge of felony aggravated battery with bodily harm, the Flagler Sheriff's Office said in a news release.

On Tuesday morning, school resource deputies were alerted about a teacher's aide that had been physically attacked on campus. When they arrived at the classroom, they found the woman lying on the ground bloody with severe injuries.

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"I feel very sorry for the teacher, the paraprofessional who was attacked. It's just something we see all too often, these days," said Matanzas High School parent Ann Marie.

While in the classroom, the student made statements that he was upset that she took his game away and said he "will beat her up every time she takes away his game," an arrest report stated, and that "when he comes back he is going to kill her."

Investigators reviewed the school's surveillance footage which showed the student – who is approximately 6 feet and 6 inches tall and weighs 270 pounds – rushing toward the school employee and pushing her several feet, knocking her unconscious on the floor. The boy is then seen kicking and punching the unconscious woman at least 15 times in the back and head, deputies said.

Authorities said it took several school employees to get the student off of the woman.

She was taken to a local hospital for treatment. The extent of her injuries was not immediately released.

"The actions of this student are absolutely horrendous and completely uncalled for," Sheriff Rick Staly said in a statement. "We hope the victim will be able to recover, both mentally and physically, from this incident. Thankfully, students and staff members came to the victim’s aid before the SRDs could arrive."

The student was taken to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility and later turned over to the Department of Juvenile Justice.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Flagler Schools said the employee who was attacked has been with the district since 2004 and as a paraprofessional since 2021.

The district also explained that paraprofessionals are assigned to students with an individualized education program (IEP), and are not assigned to general education students.