Queens Crossing Guard Says Teen Lunged At Her After Being Confronted About Knife
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A Queens crossing guard was arrested Friday for allegedly choking a 14-year-old boy, but on Monday she told her side of the story.
Jillian Selby, who has been a crossing guard for 12 years, explained her version of what happened when she spoke with CBS 2's Pablo Guzman.
The incident happened near Rockaway Boulevard and 99th Street in Ozone Park, Queens. Selby said the reason why the boy lunged was because she warned him about a knife he had.
"I saw the knife and I said, 'You know you gonna have to leave.' I said 'What are you doing here?' He said 'I'm waiting to [expletive] someone up. [Expletive] you, [expletive] the police, and [expletive] the law. And I'm gonna [expletive] you up.' And then he pulled --- then he lunged at me," Selby said.
Police said they observed marks on the neck of the teen, but Selby said they came from friends of the teen who were trying to restrain him.
"When he came and he lunged at me, he had his other student friends with him and they were restraining him. Every time he lunged at me, his friends were pulling him back like this," Selby explained to Guzman.
Selby said the 14-year-old eventually passed the knife off to a female student. The boy's mother took him to the 106th Precinct and showed them the marks on the boy's neck.
Selby's lawyer said in a statement: "Ms. Selby has pleaded not guilty and she is fighting these charges." She said she challenged the boy about the knife because she didn't want to see violence.
Police said they have received calls in the past complaining about the behavior of school-age children in that area.
"And with this kid and his knife in the morning, I just didn't want to see bloodshed. I doubt very much he was waiting for me that morning. He said he was waiting for another student," she said.
Selby's next court date will be July 24. Among the charges she is facing is criminal obstruction of breathing.
