An ugly street scene of a middle schooler picking a fight with a mentally challenged man — and losing to him — has prompted the resignation of a school director in western Siberia, Russian media said.
The sixth-grader wound up being beaten up by his victim in the Kemerevo region town of Kiselyovsk, according to a video of the incident posted by the LifeNews.ru tabloid on Monday.
But the student, estimated to be around 12 years old, tormented the older man so much that some locals sympathized with the man even despite his violence against the child.
Footage of last week's incident shows the student throwing rocks at the middle-aged man, insulting him and trying to trip him. The video was reportedly shot by the boy's classmates, who can be heard laughing and egging him on in the background.
They do not stop laughing even after the man snaps, pushing the boy down and repeatedly kicking his butt until the boy breaks down in tears.
The students' names were not released, but LifeNews.ru cited local investigators as saying they all came from affluent families.
Media reports only disclosed the older man's nickname — Kompot ("Cooked Fruit Juice") — but said he was well-known in Kiselyovsk for his track record of psychiatric treatment.
The head of the boys' school stepped down over her student's shameful conduct, ending a 45-year teaching career, the Komsomolskaya Pravda daily said Monday.
Police are considering placing the boy in a detention center for minors, local news site Gazeta.A42.ru reported.
Locals, meanwhile, started a donation drive to pay for a lawyer for Kompot, though he may avoid legal action altogether because of his disability, according to another Kemerovo news site, Vse42.ru.
