Ypsilanti, Michigan, school coach choked teen with shirt in attack
A teen was choked by a coach in the hallway of his Michigan middle school after a disagreement over pushups — and now the student’s parents are calling for criminal charges in the wake of the caught-on-camera attack.
The June 4 assault at Ypsilanti Middle School in Ypsilanti, Michigan, allegedly happened after the coach ordered the student — identified by his family as Michael Moon — to do pushups as punishment for fooling around in the hallway, according to ABC News.
But Moon demurred, saying he’d hurt his hand.
In the surveillance video, the still-unidentified coach races up behind Moon as he strides toward the door and flings a shirt over his head.
Then he yanks back — tightening the fabric around the teen’s neck — and the two get into a struggle as Moon tries to break free.
Eventually, the coach loosened his grip, and a clearly frustrated Moon yells at him before walking away.
“I’m outraged for the fact that someone would come behind a 14-year-old child and proceed to choke them,” Moon’s mom, Yolanda Ellis, told Fox 2 Detroit.
“We just recently got Mike where he’s been social, and working on his people skills,” she continued. “And I noticed that … since the incident, he has not been outside, he didn’t want to go back and finish the rest of [his] school days.”
The district fired the coach and has barred him from school property or events, Ypsilanti Community Schools Superintendent Alena Zachery-Ross told ABC in a statement.
“Our district is dedicated to creating a safe and supportive environment for all students,” Zachery-Ross said.
“The actions of the employee are absolutely unacceptable and will not be tolerated in our district,” she continued.
“We will continue to implement and enforce policies that protect our students and ensure their well-being.”
The superintendent also sent a letter to the community Monday that said district officials called social services immediately after learning about the fight, ABC added.
“We understand the concern this incident may cause within our community,” the letter stated. “Please know that we are committed to continuing to fully cooperate with the involved authorities.”
Moon’s parents reported the incident to the cops, who then showed the family the eye-popping footage.
Now, they’re calling for charges against the man.
“I need this man to pay for what he did to my son, and that means being fired, losing his job and sitting in jail,” Michael’s father, Steve Moon, told WXYZ Detroit.
“I need him to know that what he did was wrong.”
Jordan Vahdat, the family’s attorney, said he’s also monitoring the situation.
“We will simultaneously watch what the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office does to the school official that assaulted him, and we’re open to having a dialog with the school to make sure this doesn’t happen again, that there’s accountability,” Vahdat told WILX 10.
“It made me lose trust in the school system,” Michael’s mom, Yolanda, added.
“It also made me lose trust in that coach because he was someone that Michael looked up to.”
