Aquavis Hickman: North Carolina teen charged as adult after viral video shows him slapping and abusing teacher

Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.

WINSTON-SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA: Aquavis Hickman, a 17-year-old student at Parkland High School in North Carolina, is facing adult charges after allegedly assaulting two of his school teachers in separate incidents, one of which was captured on video and widely circulated.

Hickman stands accused of attacking a male teacher in an un-filmed incident back in February, with prosecutors indicating that he did not act alone. However, it was the harrowing assault on a female teacher, caught on camera, that catapulted the case into the national spotlight.

Last week, Forsyth County District Attorneys confirmed Hickman was indicted on assault and kidnapping charges. 

Aquavis Hickman filmed slapping woman teacher twice 

Aquavis Hickman was observed smacking a middle-aged teacher across her face at her desk twice on April 15. Following the first blow, the teacher questions, "Do you think that affected me in any way?" prompting the teen to ask "Want me to hit you again?" Despite her refusal, he strikes her forcefully, causing her glasses to fly off, all while unleashing a profanity-laden tirade.

Amid the altercation, the teenager continues his tirade with a barrage of profanity. "Ain't nobody even coming," he taunts the cowering woman. "You got slapped. B***h, go back to teaching."  Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O'Neill vowed to stand by the teachers and ensure swift and severe punishment for those who dare to harm them. "That video went viral nationwide and it put us on the map in a negative manner," Winston-Salem Police Chief William Penn said following Hickman's arrest Thursday.

"I am so glad today that the rest of the nation will also hear that we do not tolerate that in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County. We stand with the teachers. We will fight to protect those teachers. And if you lay a hand on a teacher and assault a teacher, you can expect that the punishment will be swift and severe. Promise made. Promise kept," reported Fox.

Aquavis Hickman's history of aggressive behavior

The decision to charge Hickman as an adult was made after additional felony charges were brought against him, including second-degree kidnapping for "unlawfully confining and restraining [the female victim] without her consent for the purpose of terrorizing he." He faces additional charges for assaulting a government official and making threats.

Prosecutors hinted at Hickman not acting alone in a February incident involving a male teacher. This incident, which occurred on school grounds, led to second-degree kidnapping charges and riot allegations against the teen. A former substitute teacher, Larry Edwards came forward with his own account of being assaulted by Hickman. "I was appalled," Edwards who spent four decades teaching at Parkland High School said.

"I walked up to the desk to get my phone to call the office, and he mockingly walked behind me, and I happened to turn around and see him, and the students started laughing. The next thing I know, he had taken his hand and smushed my head, and everybody started laughing, and he ran out," per WGHP.

Officials attribute Aquavis Hickman's conduct to preceding 'public disturbance'

Officials attribute Hickman's actions to his involvement in a "public disturbance" before the attack, which escalated to him attempting to fight the second teacher. District Attorney O'Neill emphasized a commitment to protecting educators, warning of severe consequences for such assaults.

"We're here to see that you're never assaulted when you go to work," he remarked. "We want to remind people if you put your hands on a teacher, it's the same as if you put your hands on one of these officers. The district attorney's office will bring the weight of this office down on top of you, so you should have fear of consequences."

Notably, Edward's name does not appear in the county's two cases against Hickman, nor do the names of the two victims. Police stated that investigations into both incidents are ongoing.