A former Brooklyn paraprofessional who pleaded guilty to punching an 11-year-old autistic boy in the face in a school cafeteria isn’t sorry he popped the kid.
Milton Parker, who is being sued along with the city by the parents of Anatoly Veltman, said the blow he delivered was a “reflex” act in response to the boy hitting him first.
“Who gets hit and doesn’t respond?” Parker told The Daily News. “The kid punched me in the eye first and as a reflex he got hit back.”
The city was recently ordered by a judge to provide a video of the Aug. 7, 2014, incident to the plaintiffs after refusing to hand it over for more than a year.
Parker, who is representing himself in the suit, said he’s watched the video and believes it proves his argument.
“I knew it was on camera,” Parker, 59, said. “If it was intentional, I would have taken him to another room and beaten the snot out of him.”
The kid punched me in the eye first and as a reflex he got hit back
Parker was initially charged with felony assault by police, but pleaded guilty last April to misdemeanor assault and was sentenced to attend anger management classes.
Parker, a 26-year veteran of the Department of Education, filed for retirement shortly after the incident at Public School 225 in Brighton Beach, and now collects a pension.
He claims it was the first time he was ever struck by a student. Parker had reprimanded Anatoly for spilling ice and throwing a napkin on the floor.
The boy remarked to Parker, who is black, “This table is for whites only,” according to school records.
Milton Parker says the video that captured the incident will show he had reason to punch the student.
Anatoly, who has the mental capacity of a 6-year-old, apologized for the racial comment, then punched Parker. The paraprofessional responded with a heavy blow that gave Anatoly a concussion.
The boy’s father said he knew Anatoly had been hit hard because of the lump on his head, but he was still shocked by the brutality he witnessed in the video.
He said it is not unusual for an autistic child to act out, and the paraprofessionals should be trained not to respond with violence.
“I was very upset to see my son abused by someone entrusted to care for him,” said Anatoly Veltman Sr.
Anatoly Veltman Sr. is suing the city over a school employee who punched his 11-year-old autistic son.
“The Department of Education has a duty and responsibility to better train their paraprofessionals so a shocking incident like this does not occur,” said lawyer Scott Rynecki, who is representing the Veltmans.
Parker said he can’t afford a lawyer, and can’t imagine what the plaintiffs can collect from him because he has no assets.
“My whole life was destroyed because of this one incident,” Parker complained.
A spokesman for the city Law Department declined to comment.
Another paraprofessional who was standing next to Parker and Veltman when the incident occurred claimed that she did not see either one throw a punch, according to documents.
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