An incident at Upper Arlington High School has led to the arrest of a 17-year-old swim team member on charges of felonious assault and strangulation following a violent altercation with a teammate in the school's locker room. The Upper Arlington Police confirmed that on Dec. 11, they responded to an emergency involving a student who sustained serious injuries after being choked and knocked to the ground by another student.
The confrontation started over a locker room game called "the snail game" that escalated quickly, according to a report by The Dispatch. It appears the game involved a fake fist bump, and tensions flared when one student did not comply with the loss's consequences. The suspect allegedly removed his belt and snapped it at the victim, who grabbed the belt, leading the suspect to apply a chokehold.
The situation deteriorated when, as stated in the police report, the victim told the assailant, "Hit me with it; you won't," to which the assailant responded by striking the victim with the belt. The victim, grabbing the belt, provoked the assailant to tighten his grip until the victim lost consciousness and fell, resulting in severe facial injuries. As reported by The Dispatch, the injuries were detailed as lost teeth, a severe laceration, and potential internal injuries that warranted emergency room treatment.
Following the incident, multiple students alerted the swim coach, Michael Debear, who found the victim bleeding on the ground. According to the information detailed by NBC4i, the suspect was apprehended at his residence on the same day as the incident.
