NCAAP and Others Rally to Defend VA Track Runner Charged With Assault After Bashing Opponent With Baton

We'll start this story with some background.

At the beginning of the month, a student at a Portsmouth, VA went viral after a video of her track meet made the rounds on the Internet. In the video, runner Alaila Everett is seen apparently striking a fellow runner named Kaelen Tucker. Tucker runs off the track and falls to the ground, and was later diagnosed with a concussion and possible skull fracture.

Since the incident, Everett has maintained her innocence, saying she never meant to hit Tucker.

X users are skeptical. And so did race officials who disqualified Everett's team and Lynchburg Commonwealth’s Attorney Bethany Harrison, who filed an assault and battery charge against Everett this week.

Everett and her family claim she tried to reach out to Turner but has been blocked on social media and served with a protective order by Turner, and Everett is still saying she's innocent.

NEW: The Virginia runner who bashed the head of an opponent with a metal baton holds a rally after getting charged with assault.

Odd.

Alaila Everett started sobbing while holding a rally outside of her high school in Virginia.

Portsmouth NAACP is now *defending* Everett and… pic.twitter.com/kTysxJioku
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 14, 2025

The entire post reads:

Alaila Everett started sobbing while holding a rally outside of her high school in Virginia.
Portsmouth NAACP is now *defending* Everett and says anyone who suggests she purposely hit runner Kaelen Tucker is 'shameful.'
'Alaila is NOT AN ATTACKER and media headlines that allude towards that in any way is shameful,' they said in a statement.
At her rally, Everett thanked everyone for showing up & doubled down on her claim that the assault was simply an accident.
'I would never harm anybody. I'm not a fighter, I'm not even confrontational, I wouldn't even do that on purpose, and I thank y'all for believing in me. I love y'all.'

This is the craziest level of gaslighting I’ve seen in awhile. This isn’t even up for debate, she hit the girl. I’m sure she regrets it, but the fact that the NAACP is holding rally’s trying to tell people to ignore the evidence of their lying eyes is insane.
— P.T. Ward (@HTWardish) March 14, 2025

Orwell would be proud.

You guys are all worried about the other girl being physically hurt but I’m just concerned with Alaila’s mental.

I mean there’s clearly something wrong with her brain if she thinks anyone’s buying that it wasn’t on purpose.
— 3gunGorilla (@GomesBolt) March 15, 2025

That's not a typo -- Everett spoke with media in the days following the incident and said people weren't concerned with 'her mental.'

She's not doing herself any favors, and neither are the people who keep putting her in the public eye.

She’s talking more than the victim, which makes me believe it was done on purpose. https://t.co/AUXiqjbeWF
— Petty Spice (@itsjust_KIA3) March 14, 2025

This writer found this interview with Tucker.

Look, she probably isn’t a bad person, but this was definitely a moment of weakness. This was intentional, she lost her composure in the heat of competition….unfortunately someone got seriously injured, and those actions have consequences. It sucks, but she’s not the victim. https://t.co/3iVZrCjn4R
— Brian9N0LE4 🍢 (@BAfromThe904) March 14, 2025

All of this.