Student arrested after recorded fight

ROCKDALE COUNTY, Ga. - A Rockdale County Schools resource officer charged 18-year-old Ayana Bryant with battery on March 2 after investigators said an assistant principal from Salem High School had to pull her off of a student she allegedly assaulted in class.

"Miss Bryant initially said she was walking by the student, and the student tripped her. But the female student and other students confirmed that the victim was working on an assignment at her desk when Miss Bryant walked up and started punching her in the face. And at that point, she did everything she could to defend herself," Rockdale County Sheriff's spokesman Michael Meyers said.

Meyers told FOX 5 other students told school police Bryant planned the attack a week earlier, and may have planned to post it on social media.

"As she was walking toward the victim, Miss Bryant told the other students to take out their phones because it's about to happen now. So we have reason to believe this was staged," Meyers said. "We have not found the video on social media yet, but we are aware that at least one student recorded the fight and that video has been turned over to a deputy for further investigation."

Khalil Maxwell, a 16-year-old sophomore, told FOX 5 he saw the fight, but didn't see many students recording it.

"I wish kids would stop recording these fights. I guess kids think it gives them clout and fame, but all it does is add to the drama at school," Khalil said.

Bryant was released from the Rockdale County Jail two days after her arrest. Authorities said she has not returned to Salem High School, but school district officials told FOX 5 they are not at liberty to discuss the details of the case. Meyers hopes all parents and teens will learn a valuable lesson from the incident.

"We need parents to tell their kids to report crimes, not to record crimes. No kid would want to be on the receiving end of something like this. So when these kids see fights, they need to report them, not record them. It's just bad for everyone involved," Meyers said.