Coach at a middle school in Michigan allegedly choked student with shirt – incident captured on surveillance video

School officials are investigating after a former employee at a Michigan middle school allegedly choked a 14-year-old student with a shirt in an incident captured on surveillance camera video.

The employee will no longer work at Ypsilanti Community Schools “effective immediately,” the school district said Monday.

The alleged “assault” occurred on June 4 at Ypsilanti Middle School and involved the teenager’s “trusted coach,” according to family attorney Jordan Vahdat.

Surveillance footage of the incident shows the staff member approaching the student from behind as the teen, identified by his family as Michael Moon, walks down a hallway. The staff member then appears to pull a shirt over the head of the teen, who tries to pull away before breaking free and walking away, according to the footage. The incident captured on video lasted less than 20 seconds.

In a statement to ABC News, Vahdat said his office was investigating the “brutal attack and battery” against the student-athlete.

According to Alena Zachery-Ross, superintendent of Ypsilanti Community Schools, the employee no longer works for the school district and is not allowed to be on school property or attend school events.

“Our district is committed to providing a safe and supportive environment for all students,” Zachery-Ross said in a statement. “The employee’s actions are absolutely unacceptable and will not be tolerated in our district.”

“We will continue to implement and enforce policies that protect our students and ensure their well-being,” their statement continued.

In a letter to the school community Monday, Zachery-Ross said the school district “immediately” contacted social services and began working with local law enforcement after learning of the incident.

“We understand the concern this incident may cause in our community,” the letter said. “Please be assured that we are committed to continuing to cooperate fully with the authorities involved.”

Michael’s parents said they reported the incident to police, who subsequently showed them surveillance footage of the incident. His mother, Yolanda Ellis, told Detroit ABC affiliate WXYZ that she was “horrified” by what she saw and that the incident caused her to “lose faith in that coach because he was someone that Michael looked up to.”

The incident allegedly occurred after the coach — who also served as a hallway supervisor — asked Michael to do push-ups because he was fooling around in the hallway. However, the teen refused because he had injured his hand, his parents told WXYZ.

His parents are demanding that charges be brought over the incident.

“I want this man to pay for what he did to my son. That means he gets fired, loses his job and goes to jail,” Michael’s father, Steve Moon, told WXYZ. “He needs to know what he did was wrong.”

Ypsilanti police referred ABC News to the Washtenaw County District Attorney’s Office. ABC News has reached out to the prosecutor’s office for an update on the case and to learn if charges will be filed.

Efforts to reach the former employee for comment were unsuccessful.