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Update: Nanaimo RCMP investigating alleged assault at high school

NANAIMO – Three 17-year-old students accused of allegedly assaulting 15-year-old student.
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Nanaimo RCMP are investigating three students following an alleged assault against a Grade 9 John Barsby Secondary School student who is recovering from his injuries.

Const. Gary O’Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesman, said the alleged assault occurred because of disparaging comments placed on social media sites.

On Friday, the victim, 15, was punched and thrown to the ground and was taken to Nanaimo Regional General Hospital for a concussion. His alleged attackers were all 17-year-old Grade 12 students.

A blurry cellphone video was posted online, showing the victim having his head slammed into the floor of a school hallway by another male.

Melanie Allercott, the victim’s mother, classifies the incident as a case of bullying and said Wednesday she knows of several people whose children have been bullied by the individual who beat up her son.

“I believe some parents are going to call the school today, that I know, and complain about it,” Allercott said.

She said the three alleged attackers circled her son in the school hallway and stepped on his toes.

“And then they started hitting him, smashing his head into lockers and he kind of blacked out once they started doing all that,” she said.

Allercott said it was her son’s uncle who took him to the hospital and she was notified via a text from her son about the incident.

“When a kid’s hurt at school they should contact the parents right away and, from his head hitting on the floor like that, an ambulance should have been phoned,” she said.

Dale Burgas, Nanaimo school district spokesman, said it was a “very serious incident” and the students involved were sent home right away.

“We have to look at this incident as a very serious assault … that’s why the RCMP are involved,” Burgos said.

“We can’t call it a bullying incident because we don’t know the history yet and that’s why the investigation.”

Burgos said school surveillance footage of the fight is also being reviewed by RCMP.

“It’s not taken lightly,” Burgos said. “This is something that we’re addressing.”

O’Brien said Tuesday the police investigation was still in its early stages and no charges had yet been recommended against anyone involved.

“We’re working with school staff to gather all the facts before we make any decision,” O’Brien said.

“We are monitoring social media sites and engaging with the youth to ensure that there’s no followup or repercussions as a result of this incident.”