Horry County student hits teacher, officer for trying to take her phone, police say
A student at North Myrtle Beach High School was arrested for becoming violent with staff members after being told she couldn’t have her phone in class, police say.
Horry County police responded to the school, located at 3760 Sea Mountain Highway in the Little River area, after receiving reports of an assault on Oct. 29.
When police arrived, they found one of the victims, an assistant principal at the school, trying to calm the student down and keep her from running out the door, according to the police report. The student was ultimately arrested, and it was later revealed that she hit two staff members after they asked for her phone, the report says.
Horry County Schools spokesperson Lisa Bourcier confirmed that a student “became physical with staff” in an email to The Sun News, and wrote that “appropriate student disciplinary consequences were issued.” Bourcier said she was unable to share additional information because of student and staff privacy.
Bourcier did not respond to questions about the student’s background or the victims’ injuries.
The officer’s reports says police could see the assistant principal keeping his distance from the student, who charged at him. This led the officer to step in, telling the student that “she was not going to charge at him,” the report says.
The student then started screaming more and ran toward the security guard who was coming down a back stairwell near the building’s exit doors, the report states.
Because of the student’s “violent and erratic behavior,” the officer tried to restrain her to keep her from running outside to the busy highway, the report claims. The student then hit the officer with her phone, according to the report.
The school’s security helped the officer restrain the student on the floor, calm her down and escort her to a conference room, the report states.
How the incident began
One staff member told police that the incident started when the student was told she wasn’t allowed to have her phone in class, the report claims. The staff member reportedly asked for the student’s phone, but the student refused.
Horry County Schools implemented a policy that prohibits personal electronic devices, including cell phones, during the school day. The policy began in January 2025 after the state legislature passed a bill last year requiring school districts adopt such a policy.
When the staff member said they would contact the school’s administration, the student came up behind her and hit her several times in the head.
The officer wrote in the report that the staff member had visible red marks on top of her forehead.
The staff member went to leave the room and get administration involved, but the student followed, hitting her in the back, the report says. The assistant principal then reportedly stepped between them.
The student reportedly said in a post-Miranda interview she acted because she didn’t want her phone taken, and that she would have continued to hit the staff member if the assistant principal had not stepped in.
The student was transported to the Department of Juvenile Justice, according to the report.
This story was originally published November 10, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
