Bullard High student facing charges after punching a teacher

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A Bullard High School student is facing criminal charges after officers say she punched a teacher.

At 8:30 a.m. on Friday a fight between students ended with a 53-year-old teacher being sent to the hospital.

The suspect approached another student, a sophomore, who was inside a classroom at the time with the teacher. Lt. Joe Gomez with the Fresno Police Department said, "One of the female students was supposed to fight - and the female suspect is a sophomore also - but was supposed to get into a fight with the victim after school. Why it happened early, I don't know."

Police don't believe the teacher was the intended target of the suspect but got hit as he was trying to separate the two students.

The suspect and the victim are facing disciplinary action by Fresno Unified for the incident. Lt. Gomez said the victim didn't swing at the suspect, but she did go outside of the classroom to confront her. Lt. Gomez says, "The teacher got in between them as they were going after each other and the suspect struck him, the teacher, in the head, upper body. Several times he was struck. Struck the victim one time in the chin."

The teacher was able to stop the fight but not without getting hit with a few blows to his head, shoulder, and chest. School officials sent the suspect home. Once police were notified an hour and a half later, they called the girl's mom to bring her back so she could talk with officers about the crime. Lt. Gomez said, "Needless to say, assaulting a teacher is a big problem, big issue. Kids will fight, that happens, but when you attack a teacher either inadvertently, that's a huge issue."

The suspect is facing one criminal charge for misdemeanor assault on a school employee.