A 13-year-old boy from Prince William County, Virginia, has been charged with a hate crime after using a slur toward a classmate.
The school resource officer for Rippon Middle School in Woodbridge recommended the charges after conducting an investigation into an incident that took place in September.
The investigation found that during an argument in class on Sept 22, the student used a homophobic slur toward another 13-year-old student. The boy then attempted forcibly removed the face mask off his classmate’s face. The mask stayed on his face but was ripped during the struggle.
Another student intervened to stop the fight and a teacher was notified.
Prince William County police consulted with the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office following the SRO’s investigation, which petitioned for the charges.
The student was charged with assault and battery-hate bias and released to a parent.
According to the police department’s daily incident report, the case will be handled through juvenile court services.
