Black student and white teacher/ Twitter
Giving new meaning to “Nashville Hot,” a feisty high school student pepper-sprayed her teacher over a confiscated cell phone during class.
An unnamed Antioch High School student in Nashville brought her male teacher to his knees after spraying him with pepper spray, a viral clip shows.
The incident is being investigated by the Metro Nashville Police Youth Services to determine if charges will be filed, and Metro Nashville Public Schools said the high school student received some form of discipline according to their handbook, NBC Nashville reported.
The incident, which took place on May 5, does not explain how the Black female high school student and the white male teacher began arguing, but the teacher, who is seen walking out of the classroom and into the hallways, told nearby teachers that the unruly high school student attacked him with pepper spray before the video began.
The white teacher told NBC Nashville that he was hit three times.
The Atlanta Black Star reported that someone close to the situation, a source from Reddit, said the unnamed Nashville student was cheating during school and texting someone.
The white male teacher, English teacher Caleb Bates, took her phone on the spot, prompting the high school student to use her mace in class.
The high school student, who would later record the incident, had just witnessed a teacher being pepper-sprayed and decided to record it after the Bates left the classroom.
“Oh mace? Mace is crazy. Naw, mace is crazy,” said the recording student.
Recording and now arguing over a phone outside the classroom, Bates and his Black female student engaged in a one-sided fight.
Bates again refused to hand over the student’s phone, and the student used her pepper spray a second time. The white male teacher fell to his knees as the mace hit on his face, and it appears that the spray affected nearby teachers who witnessed the incident.
“Give me my phone. Can I get my phone? Can I get my phone?” the Black female high school student said.
Pepper spray can affect those around it. The effects of pepper spray can vary depending on the concentration of the spray, the distance from the target, and the wind conditions. However, in general, pepper spray can cause eye irritation, coughing, and difficulty breathing. In some cases, pepper spray can also cause skin irritation and vomiting.
“It got in my ear, this whole side of my face, it was just bright red,” Bates said. “It got in my mouth, nose, everything. I was coughing, hacking, it’s a very unpleasant experience.”
Bates, who asked for help but received none because the school is understaffed, said people should write to their local representatives and demand that the school get more money.
This is Bates’ first year at Antioch High, but he plans to finish out the year at Antioch High School remotely and never come back.
Bates claims that prior to the pepper spray incident, a student punched him in the face for taking his district-issued laptop.
Other students have apparently targeted Bates as well, according to his interview with NBC.
“I’ve had students cut my hair, I’ve had students spit on me,” said Bates.