Brooklyn principal charged with assault for punching, kicking student

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A Brooklyn principal was charged with assault after he punched and kicked a 7-year-old student.

Machael Spencer-Edwards saw the boy running in the hallways wearing a banned hoodie and hitting staff. So, Edwards, who is 6-foot-3, went to the lunchroom and dragged him out into the hallway, forcing the cowering boy to the ground in front of him before he punched and kicked the little boy.

The boy, Hasheem Welch, has behavioral issues and was diagnosed with ADHD three months ago. His mother, Shema McKenzie, said that he had come home with bruises on his stomach and back as well as a swollen face.

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“I feel like (Spencer-Edwards) needs to be put away,” McKenzie told The New York Daily News. “I sent my son to school to learn. I didn’t send my son to get beat up by an adult, especially by the principal who’s supposed to be caring for these children.”

On Tuesday, after a month-long investigation, Spencer was in fact arrested on several charges including misdemeanor assault and endangering the welfare of a child.

For his part, Spencer has denied that he assaulted the child and insists that all he did was to grab the boy by the arm when Hasheem tried to kick him. However, video obtained by police corroborates Hasheem’s story, showing the principal dragging the small boy out of the lunchroom and kicking him.