Jurors watched a video of a Waukegan middle school student and teacher exchanging punches as the trial of the former teacher on battery charges began Tuesday in Lake County court.
Lamont Bankston, 51, a former substitute science teacher, is seen landing several punches as the teen, an eighth grader at Jack Benny Middle School, tries to counterpunch before Bankston grabs him by the hair and pants and throws him into classroom desks.
The video ends with Bankston hauling the student into a hallway before collapsing on top of him. A student shot the 30-second video.
Before the fight, the student and the teacher yelled at one another because the youth would not stop talking in class, a fellow student testified. The student, now a sophomore, said the youth threw the first punch after he and Bankston bumped chests in a face-to-face altercation.
The incident took place on Oct. 25, 2022, in a science classroom at the school. The youth ended up with a laceration on a finger that required stitches, along with a swollen eye. Bankston broke his ankle during the altercation. The student, who was 14 at the time, was expected to testify during the trial.
In opening statements, Bankston’s attorney Elliot Pinsel told jurors that the substitute teacher’s actions were in self-defense and were justified. Bankston, Pinsel said, heard the teen say the phrase “shoot you,” perhaps a sentence fragment declaring that the youth would get someone to shoot Bankston.
The teacher also did not know for sure that the student was unarmed, the attorney said.
“This was justified based on what he knew at that time,” Pinsel said.
Assistant State’s Attorney Kathleen Laughlin said in her opening statement that Bankston’s actions were not justified, and did not qualify as self-defense. Bankston was 6 feet tall and weighed about 300 pounds at the time, while the student was about 5-foot-4 and weighed about 130 pounds.
Just after the incident, she said, Bankston was seated at his desk and said to no one in particular, “That’s why you don’t mess with me.”
The case is expected to go to the jurors Wednesday.
