Middle School Coach Caught on Video Allegedly Choking Student

Surveillance footage from Ypsilanti Middle School in Michigan captured a coach allegedly choking a student in the hallway after an argument over pushups, prompting outrage and a police investigation.

A middle school coach in Ypsilanti, Michigan, has been caught on video allegedly choking a student in the hallway of the school, prompting an investigation by the police and outrage from the student's family.

Surveillance video of the incident shows the coach, who has not been identified, rushing up behind the student as he walks towards the door. The coach then throws his shirt over the student's head and yanks it around his neck. The two get into a scuffle as the student tries to break free, and eventually, the coach loosens his grip.

The student's mother, Yolanda Ellis, expressed outrage over the incident and questioned the lack of response from other staff members witnessing the assault.

"I'm outraged at the fact that someone would come behind a 14-year-old child and proceed to choke him," Ellis told FOX 2 in Detroit.

Ellis said her son and the coach had an argument over a disciplinary issue, which should never have escalated to physical violence. Despite the physical altercation, Ellis said another teacher was nearby but did not rush to deescalate the situation.

An attorney representing the student, Jordan Vahdat, said the family plans to file a litigation notice to the school to hold it accountable for what happened to their son.

"In that video, there should have been other people rushing in and stopping that assault. I didn't see that happen," Vahdat said. "Number one is accountability, and the school needs to do something to make it right."

The school district superintendent, Dr. Alena Zachery-Ross, sent a letter to parents reassuring them that the district was treating the matter with "the utmost seriousness." She said the employee involved was no longer working at the school district and was not permitted to enter school property or attend school activities.

The student's family has filed a report with the police, and the coach has not yet been charged in the matter. Ypsilanti Community Schools and the Ypsilanti Police Department have not responded to requests for comment.

The incident has raised concerns about the safety and well-being of students in schools and the need for appropriate training and supervision for staff members to handle disciplinary issues without resorting to physical violence.