Assistant principal accused of punching student who cut taco line in Brooklyn school
CROWN HEIGHTS, Brooklyn (WABC) -- An assistant principal at a Brooklyn school was accused of dragging a student into a closet and punching him after the 13-year-old cut the taco line last week.
Derrande Moore is an assistant principal at Dr. Gladstone H. Atwell Middle School on Empire Boulevard in Crown Heights.
Moore is alleged to have confronted a 13-year-old boy, who cut the line for tacos in the cafeteria January 29.
Police said Moore allegedly blocked the boy from leaving the cafeteria by standing in the doorway.
He first dragged the boy by his backpack strap into a cafeteria table. Still holding the strap, he's then accused of dragging the boy into a storage closet, where he punched and kicked the boy multiple times, police said.
He was charged with assault and child endangerment following an investigation.
The boy sustained scratches to the neck and arm, a bleeding lip and general pain in the neck, arm, lip and back.
"This alleged behavior is extremely disturbing, and Mr. Moore was immediately reassigned away from students pending the outcome of the criminal investigation," NYC Department of Education spokesman Doug Cohen said in a statement.
Moore has worked for New York City's education department since 2001. He became an assistant principal in 2013, and his salary is $124,678.
He was arrested Wednesday, held overnight, arraigned Thursday morning and released without bail.
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