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Middle School Student Accused Of Body Slamming "Bully"

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- An eighth grader was arrested Tuesday after he body slammed a sixth grader to the floor, knocking the boy briefly unconscious.

The Citrus Grove Middle School student was taken to Ryder and will be just fine, officials said.

The older student, however, is now looking at serious trouble. At juvenile court Wednesday, his mother defended her son as a victim of bullying.

"My son defended himself," she said. "My son is not the aggressor in this situation. Unfortunately, my son did hurt the boy."

Over the phone, the juvenile suspect told CBS4 reporter Gary Nelson that he was bullied repeatedly.

"He would just, like, constantly bother me, and also my girlfriend," the child said. "A couple of times, he actually punched me really hard."

The final straw, he said, was when the 6th grader threw a drink full of ice in his face on the school walkway.

"I got tired of being bullied, so I just picked him up and slammed him," the kid said.

School Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said the eighth grader's response to a drink in the face was totally inappropriate and he will receive intensive help with controlling himself.

"We are to continue working with the child at all levels, from psychological support and social and emotional support, to ensure that the reaction is not what we witnessed yesterday," said Carvalho.

The teenager said he's always been told to not fight back, and instead, report bullying to a teacher or a counselor.

"I never did, because you know, like in this generation, you tell on somebody you're a rat," he said. "So, I really didn't want to do that."

It might be a lesson learned that speaking up is better than being arrested.

There are always two sides to every story, however. Reporters were unable to reach the family of the sixth grader who was hurt.

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