A DeKalb County teacher’s aide arrested after allegedly pushing a 10-year-old student to the ground was also arrested in April after victims say she fired warning shots at a group of teenage boys, Channel 2 Action News has learned.
The mothers of the 15- and 17-year-old victims contacted the news station after they recognized Carlas Smith, 47, as the same woman who allegedly fired over the boys’ heads as they walked in a cut-through near Smith’s home in south DeKalb County.
“One of the bullets grazed my son’s shoe and one of the bullets actually went through one of the boys’ shorts,” Shadonna Veney told Channel 2.
When her son, Keldazion Robinson, came home, he was having an asthma attack, she said.
“Scary ... and I couldn’t breathe because I have asthma so I was running and she was still shooting,” Robinson said. He told the news station he remembered “exactly eight shots.”
According to Channel 2, Smith was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of reckless conduct. Her case is still pending in DeKalb court, records show.
Another mother, Tulisu Walker, said she was shocked to learn Smith still had a job as a paraprofessional with the DeKalb County School District after her most recent arrest. Smith was taken into custody Thursday at the Ronald E. McNair Discovery Learning Academy by school district police.
RELATED: DeKalb teacher's aide arrested after allegedly pushing student
According to an arrest warrant, Smith made contact of an “insulting and provoking nature” and “pushed her hands into the chest” of a 10-year-old. The contact caused the student to fall to the floor.
It’s not clear what led up to the encounter.
Smith faces a charge of simple battery and remains on paid leave while the district investigates.
“The safety of our students is always a high priority in DCSD, and we are committed to protecting all students,” a district spokeswoman said. “We will not tolerate employee misconduct on any level and will move swiftly to correct any situation that puts our students in harm’s way.”
