Video shows Beech Grove HS student being attacked in classroom

BEECH GROVE, Ind. (WISH) — It was the third day of school and sophomore Justin Stewart found himself dragged and beaten in a closet at Beech Grove High School by two students.

The boy’s mother, Debbi Khanthamany, said she was so angry upon seeing a video of the incident that she began to shake. She said the school never informed her about the fight. Instead, she learned about it from other parents and was the one who had to reach out to the school.

Khanthamany said the fight happened on Friday.

In the video, two boys can be seen attacking 15-year-old Stewart, with one of them kicking him while he lay on the ground. A third student, a football teammate of Stewart’s, attempted to intervene, offering the only protection her son received during the ordeal, Khanthamany explained.

“The fact that my baby wasn’t protected… I felt like he should have been protected by somebody. Even in the video, you don’t hear the teacher saying anything,” she said.

According to Khanthamany, Stewart claimed that the teacher was present in the classroom but did nothing while another student filmed the fight.

She says the two boys who assaulted her son were not part of the class; they entered the room, dragged Stewart into a closet, and continued the assault. One of the attackers was reportedly older.

Khanthamany said her son was in tears when she found him.

“As soon as I walked into the school I said take me to him. They took me to a conference room and had to pull the keys out to unlock a door. He was there by himself sitting,” she said.

Despite being the apparent victim, Khanthamany says her son’s teacher wrote him up for disciplinary action. She claims his only offense was leaving the classroom to seek help, as he was not allowed to use his cellphone to call his mother.

“In the video, you can see him being punched in the back of the head and kicked. They shouldn’t have locked him in by himself,” Khanthamany said. Stewart suffered swelling in his left eye, and doctors diagnosed him with a mild concussion.

Mitzi Garman, a representative of Beech Grove City Schools, would not confirm if either Stewart or his attackers faced disciplinary action, stating, “It would be inappropriate to discuss the details of individual student matters publicly.” She added, “I can confirm that our administrative team promptly handled the investigation, and communications were rendered according to policy.”

Khanthamany said her son is embarrassed by the incident, but she wants to speak out to prevent it from happening to others. She is also considering pressing charges.