RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) - The high school junior said he was asked to take his hands out of his pocket. But when the school security guard tried to search him, 17-year-old Kevon Patiler admits he shoved the guard.
What happened next is the subject of an investigation.
Patiler said a fist hit his lip and bottom two teeth Monday morning as he stood outside Huguenot High School. Now he has an emergency room bracelet along with a doctor’s note detailing his injury.
"He was like, ‘What's in your pocket?’ I was like, ‘Nothing,’” Kevon recalled. “He still started to go in my pocket, so I pushed him off and he just punched me in the mouth."
Kevon said his injuries came at the hands of the school security guard.
"We are taking this situation seriously. We immediately launched an internal investigation and have reported the incident to Child Protective Services. The security specialist has been removed from the school pending the outcome of the investigation," Richmond Public Schools said in a statement.
"I just don't feel it's right,” Kevon’s mother Misty Bankert said. She added no one should ever touch her son. "I don't want this to happen to anyone else’s kid."
School board member Kim Gray reminded parents if they have any questions about things going on at school to call immediately.
"Parents can always reach out to the school administration, school board reps, and report these incidents if they feel like they need to be investigated,” Gray said. “We should be made aware of it."
Bankert said she was waiting for the investigation details to help her decide on her next legal move.
