Fresno City College Instructor On Leave After Fight With Student

Fresno, CA – An instructor at Fresno City College, 69-year-old Brian Calhoun, is on paid administrative leave after engaging in a brawl with a 19-year-old female student on March 22. It’s alleged that, during the altercation, Calhoun body-slammed the petite 101-pound journalism major onto the ground.

According to a campus police report filed by the assault victim, Kevynn Gomez claimed the argument between the two began when she cursed at Mr. Calhoun for behaving rudely towards the students and the substitute teacher in her class.

The students were taking an exam for a Chicano-Latino Studies class, and the time ran late. Calhoun, who has worked at Fresno City College (FCC) since 1988, stormed into the classroom and approached the substitute, Michael Medrano.

Calhoun abruptly informed Medrano that his Survey of American Education class was scheduled to start and they all needed to leave. Impatient, Calhoun continued to rant, growing louder as he yelled at both Medrano and the students.

Gomez told the man to “Piss off,” punctuating her statement with a body part expletive as she submitted her test and left. Enraged, Calhoun followed her into the hallway where he demanded her name. Calhoun told Gomez she couldn’t talk to an instructor that way and grabbed her left arm.

Using his forearm, Calhoun pinned Gomez against a wall. In her statement, Gomez asserts she punched the man several times in the face with her free hand because he wouldn’t let her go. According to several witness accounts, Calhoun then lifted the girl and slammed her onto the ground before students could pull him away.

Gomez was not penalized with criminal charges as at least six other students and the substitute instructor were able to support her account of the events, according to the Huffington Post. Calhoun was cited for misdemeanor battery and ordered to appear in court on June 19. He will be on leave from the college pending the results of the investigation.

Roger Nuttall, Calhoun’s attorney, indicates the girl instigated the assault, verbally lashing out at his client first. Catherine Campbell, Gomez’s attorney, countered saying that regardless of the circumstances Calhoun was out of control.

The confrontation occurred in the Old Administrative Building, pictured, the oldest structure on the FCC campus.

[Image via Wikicommons]