Charges filed after autistic student attacked in school bathroom

PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — Prosecutors have filed assault charges against a teen caught on camera attacking a Graham-Kapowsin High School student with autism in a bathroom.

The autistic student was repeatedly punched in the face as classmates watched and recorded the beating.

According to court documents, the attack started as retribution for the victim reporting other students vaping in the past.

KIRO 7 spoke with the victim’s mother, Nell Vance, who said her 15-year-old son Landon had no idea what was going on.

“Absolutely defenseless and obviously clueless to what’s going on and just hearing the sound of him crying and knowing this happened to him and I couldn’t do anything to stop it,” says Vance.

Landon suffered a chipped tooth and welts to the back of his head.

KIRO 7 contacted the school district for comment but officials denied our request for an interview and said in part: “We want our families and students to know that any incident that threatens students’ health or safety is taken very seriously.”

The school sent a note to parents condemning the fight and the student response, which read in part:

“In this situation, there were several bystanders. Many refused to write statements and share any specifics around the incident they witnessed.”

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