HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — Four Texas middle school students are in police custody after chasing down and beating a high school baseball coach on Thursday, an incident captured on cell phone video and circulated widely across social media.
The attackers have been identified only as Aragon Middle School students, while the victim is Michael Shott, an assistant baseball coach and physics teacher at Langham Creek High School, KTRK reported.
[Click here to watch the video. WARNING: This video contains profanity and violence.]
“The reason it happened to him was because he was doing his job,” the victim’s mother, Peggy Shott, told the TV station, confirming that her son suffered a broken arm in the scuffle but is recovering.
Officials with Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District confirmed to KTRK that the assault took place at Langham Creek High School during baseball practice.
Shott was jumped because he told the middle school students they could not ride dirt bikes or all-terrain vehicles on the high school’s grounds. The arrests then prompted threats of gun violence against the high school Friday and tightened security, KABB reported.
The school system issued the following statement Friday:
“The recent safety violations that have occurred both on and off our campuses are extremely disappointing. I want to reassure you that we are taking these actions very seriously. Our campuses must be the safest places in our community for students, staff and visitors. We will not tolerate anyone compromising the safe environment of our campuses and will address violations to the greatest extent possible.”