Video Catches 40-Year-Old Mom Allegedly Assaulting Student in Middle School Brawl

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A school community in Mesa, Arizona, was appalled by the actions of a junior high school mother who was allegedly caught repeatedly striking another student on the top of his head. Cellphone footage captured 40-year-old Clarissa Cheatham, joining a brawl between several Taylor Junior High School students.

In the video, Cheatham apparently uses her closed fists to deliver multiple blows to a minor. As a result, she has been arrested.

'I was sick to my stomach,' one Taylor Junior High mother said after seeing the video.

One mother, identified as Amy, has a son who attends Taylor Junior High School, 12 News reported. He came home and told her that there was footage of a parent punching a student.

The claim baffled Amy, but she was even more disturbed by the video. “I was sick to my stomach and started crying. I just couldn’t believe that,” she told the news outlet.

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It's unclear if Cheatham had a child involved in the altercation.

In the video, Cheatham apparently pulls two students apart. This allows one of them to hit the other several times in the face, according to 12 News. Afterward, Cheatham gets behind another student and starts assaulting him.

It’s unclear if Cheatham’s child was involved in the fight. “No one has the right to put hands on a child, even if your child’s in a fight, grab your child and walk them away from it and don’t involve yourself anymore,” Amy told the news outlet.

Cheatham told police she 'blacked out.'

When Mesa police arrived at the school, they reviewed footage from cellphone video and spoke with witnesses. Eventually, authorities spoke to Cheatham herself. According to court documents, Cheatham said she “blacked out” and doesn’t remember hitting anyone, News 12 reported.

The denial doesn’t sit well with Amy. “She doesn’t remember hitting multiple children?” Amy asked. “I find that hard to believe. That makes me see red.”

Cheatham was charged with aggravated assault.

The origins of the brawl are unclear. In response to the incident, Mesa Public Schools issued the following statement to parents:

“This afternoon, there was an altercation between a few of our students which eventually involved a parent. District security and the Mesa Police Department intervened. The parent was arrested for aggravated assault and the investigation is ongoing with possible additional charges pending to those involved.”

The school district also noted that administrators would punish students according to the Mesa Public Schools discipline matrix, 12 News reported. The statement also implored parents to remind their children that instead of posting a violent incident online, they should first report any altercations to a trusted adult.