FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. (WESH) — A 17-year-old Florida student is accused of brutally attacking a teacher's aide who had taken away his Nintendo Switch device.
Authorities have now identified the school staffer as Joan Naydich.
"Quite frankly it was shocking," said Sheriff Rick Staly with the Flagler County Sheriff's Department.
Investigators say when a teacher's aide at Matanzas High School took a 17-year-old student's video game away, he chased after her into the hallway. According to the report, he pushed the victim so hard it took her off her feet five to six feet in the air, knocking her unconscious.
"This could have been a homicide. When you push people down like that [and] they hit their head, you never know the outcome," said Sheriff Staly.
The 17-year-old allegedly continued his assault as the teacher's aide was helpless on the ground. Investigators say the surveillance shows the student "kicking her. [He] got on top of her and punched her in the body and back of the head approximately 15 times."
"He's 6 foot 7, 270 pounds and he's in high school. That's a big kid," said Sheriff Staly. "Fortunately, other students and other faculty members [and] administrators came and intervened."
The student is charged with felony aggravated battery and will be the subject of school discipline, including possible expulsion.
As first responders tended to the victim, the 17-year-old was detained. As he was being walked away, according to the report, he "started to spit towards the victim and said when he comes back, he is going to kill her."
Naydich was taken to the hospital. Flagler County Schools said out of respect for her privacy, it would not comment on her medical condition at this time.
