Woodland Hills Student Charged in Assaulting Assistant Principal

A student has been charged after attacking, hitting and kicking the assistant principal.

Cortrell McKenzie, 18, of North Braddock waived his right to a hearing this week before

He is charged with aggravated assault, disorderly conduct, terroristic threats and harassment, after an altercation with staff member Kevin Murray Jan. 19. It was McKenzie's 18th birthday, according to court documents.

The police criminal complaint states that Churchill police were called to the school after McKenzie was being restrained on the ground by staff members in a classroom.

Murray told police he was on the second floor of the school, monitoring the hallways, shortly after a fight had been cleared. That fight had occurred minutes earlier.

Murray then saw McKenzie walking down the hall with a hat on, at which point Murray asked the student to remove it. McKenzie ignored Murray and walked away.

Murray stopped the student and reached up to remove the hat himself, the complaint states. McKenzie then screamed a profanity along with a threat, according to police, then walked into room 216.

There, McKenzie took another student’s phone and threatened to call an uncle, followed by a verbal threat to Murray. Murray then reached out to take the phone.

McKenzie then grabbed Murray’s right wrist, striking him in the forearm. The complaint states McKenzie struck Murray several times in the chest before being restrained and placed on the ground, where he then began flailing and kicking Murray in the legs.

McKenzie was transported to Allegheny County Jail after the incident.