Video shows high school student punched repeatedly inside classroom

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LANCASTER, S.C. — What one family says was a bullying incident at Lancaster High School led to an arrest and charges against a 17-year-old student.

The parents of the victim said they are going forward with pressing charges against the 17-year-old.

A video of the incident shows six punches thrown after the suspect told the victim to get out of a seat he wanted. The incident happened Tuesday in a classroom at Lancaster High.

In the video, there’s no evidence of the victim fighting back, and the victim didn’t report the incident until an adult saw the video and called police.

Lancaster Police Chief Scott Grant said the video made the charges clear.

“You just have one kid striking another and the other kid just sitting there and taking it,” Grant said. “You gotta look at that.”

Eyewitness News is not naming the 17-year-old suspect because he’s charged with misdemeanor assault and battery. He’s been out of school and at home since the incident and tells Channel 9 he’s been suspended for five days.

When asked by South Carolina bureau reporter Greg Suskin why he did it, the student said he lost his temper, calling it “the greatest mistake of (his) life.”