Elementary Teacher Arrested for Punching Woman, Hurling Racial Slur

A 42-year-old elementary school teacher from North Carolina was arrested and charged for allegedly attacking another woman. The incident took place on Valentines Day, February 14, at Sam's Club in South Carolina. The victim was punched in the face by the teacher after she hurled racial slurs at her. Several witnesses reported the incident to police.

The elementary school teacher, Ashley Murff, was taken into custody earlier this week. According to court records, Murf has been charged with one count of third-degree assault and battery for the alleged attacks.

Murff is employed by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina. She teaches at Winget Park Elementary School in southwest Charlotte.

According to CBS affiliated WBTV, on February 14, a call regarding a possible assault at Sam's Club was made. The Richland County Sheriff's Office answered the call at Sam's Club, 700 block of Fashion Drive. Deputies responded to the call at around 1:15 p.m. WBTV also reported that one of the women allegedly used a racial slur during the assault.

Upon arriving at the location, about 90 miles South of Charlotte, deputies spoke to the victim. The victim said she was waiting in line at Sam’s Club to buy a rotisserie chicken when the woman behind her called her a racial slur. The woman was identified as Murff. The alleged comment led to a verbal argument between the two women.

The victim further explained that while they were arguing, she tried to take a picture of Murf. At that point, Murff allegedly lost her temper and punched the victim in the face. WYFF, an NBC affiliate at Greenvile, reported that the two women continued fighting until others separated them.

Murff apparently left the store before the authorities arrived. Deputies later identified her through surveillance footage at the store and obtained a warrant for her arrest.

A friend of the victim named T’Nae Parker, told WACH that her friend was in line at Sam’s Club and had picked up an extra chicken for an older woman who was not able to stand in line.

"There was an older lady who didn’t have the ability to stand in line and my friend offered to help her by picking up an extra chicken for her," Parker said. “People are allowed to do that, they are allowed to get more than one chicken,” Murff who was behind in the line allegedly lost her temper and used a racial slur, calling her the N-word.

“She called her the racial slur twice,” Parker added. She also said the behavior did not reflect well on Murff’s reputation as a school teacher. “This highlights what people believe in and the biases they carry into the classroom,” Parker said.

Charlotte- Mecklenburg School reportedly announced the suspension of Murff. She was suspended pending an investigation into the incident and was booked on the morning of February 18.