A high school track athlete has been charged with misdemeanor assault and battery following a viral video showing her baton striking a competitor’s head during a relay race.
Alaila Everett, a senior at I.C. Norcom High School in Portsmouth, Virginia, was running the second leg of the 4×200-meter relay when her baton hit Kaelen Tucker, a junior from Brookville High School, in the head. The incident occurred on March 4 during the Virginia State High School League (VHSL) Championships at Liberty University in Lynchburg.
The Commonwealth’s Attorney for Lynchburg, Bethany Harrison, confirmed to media on Wednesday that Everett is facing an assault and battery charge in connection with the incident. Further details on the case have not yet been released.
Video Footage and Athlete Reactions
A widely circulated video of the incident shows Tucker staggering and clutching her head after being struck, before stepping off the track. She dropped her baton and was attended to by medical personnel. Later, she was diagnosed with a concussion.
“I was so in disbelief. I didn’t know what happened,” Tucker told .
Everett, however, insists the baton strike was accidental. In an interview on Good Morning America, she stated:
“I would never do that on purpose. That’s not in my character.”
The 18-year-old explained that her arm became stuck during the race, causing the baton to hit Tucker inadvertently.
“Her arm was literally hitting the baton—until she got a little ahead, and my arm got stuck like this,” Everett said while demonstrating the movement.
Her family also defended her actions, arguing that Tucker was running too close and attempted to cut ahead, leading to an accidental collision.
School and League Response
Following the incident, the athletic director at I.C. Norcom High School and Everett’s father apologized to the Tucker family in a phone call, according to Tucker’s parents.
The Virginia High School League (VHSL) released a statement on Monday, confirming they are reviewing the incident:
“The VHSL membership has always made it a priority to provide student-athletes with a safe environment for competition.”
Additionally, the Portsmouth NAACP has stepped in, not only reviewing the incident but also addressing racial slurs and death threats allegedly directed at the Everett family.
“We are committed collectively to ensuring that the criminal justice system, which we feel is not warranted in this situation, is executed fairly and based on due process,” the NAACP said in a statement.
They further called for the charges against Everett to be dropped, stating:
“From all accounts, she is an exceptional young leader and scholar whose athletic talent has been well-documented. 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.”
The Chilling Lies Behind the Death of Toni Henthorn
Ongoing Investigation
As the VHSL and local authorities continue to investigate, the case has sparked debate over sportsmanship, intent, and fairness in high school athletics.
More updates will follow as the case develops.
