A substitute teacher in Hillsborough County is behind bars after authorities said he tried to start a fight with a 14-year-old boy on Tuesday.
A substitute teacher in Hillsborough County is behind bars after authorities said he tried to start a fight with a 14-year-old boy on Tuesday.
Benjamin Barnes, 26, is facing a battery charge after the incident that happened at 9:35 a.m. at Webb Middle School.
Watch NBC6 free wherever you are
WATCH HEREThe Hillsborough County Sheriff Office said Barnes "got into a verbal altercation with a 14-year-old male student" and used "racially charged language, attempted to instigate a fight, and grabbed the student's cell phone out of his hands."
Video captured that alleged confrontation in what appears to be a classroom as other students are present.
Get local news you need to know to start your day with NBC 6's News Headlines newsletter.
SIGN UP
In the images, Barnes can be seen getting close to a student's face and saying, "Let's go. I'm talking to you... I'm looking you straight in your eyes, two feet away from you, not even. Let's go."
The student and Barnes appear to snatch an object away from each other.
When the teen says, "I'm gonna need you to give me my phone back bro," Barnes replies, "Take it from me."
News
The sheriff's office said the student fled the classroom and reported the altercation to a school resource deputy.
Barnes was arrested.
He is an employee of Kelly Services and not Hillsborough County Public Schools, authorities said.
"What happened today is a betrayal of everything an educator is supposed to represent," Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a news release. "Our teachers are supposed to create a safe space for learning and respect, not fear and intimidation. This behavior is completely unacceptable, and this teacher will face the consequences of their actions."
