CARROLL COUNTY, Ga. — Parents said a bully attacked their son in school and now the son is the one facing charges.
The family says video shows 17-year-old Caliente Taylor trying to avoid a fight with another student last week at Villa Rica High School.
“I see a young kid trying to defend himself is what I see,” mother Monica Taylor said.
In the video, a teacher who stepped in to stop the fight falls down. The teacher said he was pushed, but the student’s family said the teacher lost his balance and the student was trying to catch him and help him back up.
“They say my son pushed the teacher from the back and (as a result), the teacher falls and presses charges,” Monica Taylor said. “What we see on the video is the teacher off balance and he physically wraps his arm around my son and he falls to the ground.”
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Caliente Taylor was arrested and charged with battery on a school system employee.
“I tried to catch him so he wouldn’t fall,” he said.
Channel 2's Carl Willis contacted Carroll County Schools, but did not get a response.
Willis obtained the incident report, which claims both students were “ready to take it to blows” and “determined to fight” and “take it to the end.”
Monica Taylor met with the Villa Rica High School principal Wednesday and was told that they would get charges reduced to disorderly conduct. She said the status of the battery charges remain up to the teacher.
“I’ve been kind of depressed about it because it’s my life. It’s my future career. I want to go to college. I want to have a successful life,” Caliente Taylor said.
Monica Taylor said she paid $2,000 for bail. She said the other student was given in-school suspension.