A shocking video surfaced online showing a Texas junior high school student being brutally beaten by another pupil, while adults stood by with little urgency to stop the violence.
The attack took place at Harwood junior high school in Bedford, Texas, the school confirmed in a letter to parents, as reported by WFAA.
Footage of the assault showed the aggressor straddling the victim’s chest, punching him in the head relentlessly, as the boy struggled to escape. The victim attempted to get up at one point, only to be tackled back down onto the concrete floor.
As the attack unfolded, the boy looked around desperately for help, but instead, fellow students cheered, recording the incident on their phones, making whooping noises while he continued to endure blows to his face and the back of his head.
Teachers failed to intervene effectively. Two adult men could be seen in the video approaching the fight slowly, one of them still holding a thermos, before gently pulling the attacker away without restraining him. Moments later, as the assailant stood up, he stomped on the victim’s head, knocking him unconscious.
Despite the severity of the attack, no one rushed to assist the unconscious student for at least 20 seconds. Instead, onlookers continue watching, and no adults are immediately visible.
It is still unclear how badly the student was injured or if he required medical treatment.
In a letter to parents, the principal of Harwood Junior High confirmed the incident occurred on school grounds and stated that a full investigation was underway.
“However, I want to emphasize that fighting is a severely inappropriate behavior, and this type of incident is completely unacceptable,” the principal wrote, according to WFAA.
“The incident is being taken very seriously, including investigation of the complete sequence of events using video and interviews, surrounding context, actions of additional students and staff, and district processes related to student fights,” the letter added, quoted by the New York Post.
The Bedford police department also investigated the incident and referred the case to the Tarrant county juvenile justice system, according to a statement posted on Facebook.
