Man Charged in Long Reach Assault to Appear in Court Friday

Donnell Maurice Vannison, the man charged with second-degree assault in an incident at Long Reach High School that became a viral video, is scheduled to appear for trial in Howard County Friday.

Vannison, 40, of Columbia, allegedly went to the high school wearing a ski mask, attempted to assault a student and subsequently was knocked out, police said in March.

He  “stumbling down the sidewalk, almost falling over” with “blood on his face” after he was knocked out by a 17-year-old Long Reach football player, according to charging documents.

School officials said at the time that the confrontation may have stemmed from an incident involving French fries being thrown at a 15-year-old girl in the cafeteria either earlier that day or earlier in the week.

The video of the incident quickly went viral on the Internet after it was posted to the website WorldStarHipHop.com. By Aug. 9, the video had received over 1.3 million views on the website.

Police did not charge the male student involved in the fight, because they said he acted in self-defense.

A spokesperson for the Howard County State’s Attorney’s Office said records indicate Vannison will be representing himself in court. His trial is scheduled for 1:15 p.m. at District Court in Ellicott City, according to court records.

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