Student Facing Up To 10 Years In Prison For TikTok Challenge Attack On Disabled Teacher

Covington, LA – The 18-year-old Covington High School student who attacked her wheelchair-bound teacher as part of a TikTok challenge is facing up to 10 years in prison.

District Attorney Warren Montgomery’s office announced Tuesday that Larrianna Jackson had been charged with multiple felony counts that could ultimately send the high school senior to prison, WVUE reported.

Montgomery said that Jackson had been charged with felony second-degree battery and cruelty to the infirmed on Friday, an upgrade from the original battery of school teacher charge she was booked on by the Covington Police Department.

Battery of a school teacher carries a sentence of only 15 days to six months in jail, WVUE reported.

The incident occurred at Covington High School in St. Tammany Parish on Oct. 6, WBRZ reported.

Police said another student was filming when a conversation between a teacher and Jackson turned violent.

“In the video, you can see the schoolteacher sitting at her desk where she appears to be talking to Larrianna Jackson,” the Covington Police Department said in a statement. “After a moment, Jackson punches the teacher, causing the teacher to fall to the ground. As the teacher fell to the ground, Jackson continues to violently closed fist-punch the teacher. The video then turns off at this point.”

In the background of the video, seconds prior to the attack, another student can be heard commenting on what’s about to happen.

“She better f—kin not,” the girl said. “I’m gonna start running.”

Police are investigating who posted the video on social media, WBRZ reported.

“If you watched the video, it sounded like they knew this was about to happen, so we’re looking into it and there may be more arrests that come out of this,” a Covington police spokesman told reporters.

Jackson was arrested and booked into the St. Tammany Parish Jail, according to a post on the Covington Police Department’s official Facebook page.

Police said the investigation is ongoing but they think the attack was likely motivated by the #slapateacher social media challenge circulating on TikTok, WBRZ reported.

The district attorney’s office upgraded Jackson’s charges on Oct. 15, WVUE reported.

Montgomery’s office said that it had reviewed the evidence in the case and opted to charge the student with more serious felonies that carry a longer sentence if Jackson is convicted.

Police have called the beating a premeditated attack on the 64-year-old disabled teacher, WVUE reported.

Jackson has been scheduled for an arraignment before 22nd Judicial District Court Judge Richard A. Swartz on Dec. 8.