A Clark Atlanta student strangled outside The Legacy at Centennial Apartments sparked outrage across Atlanta’s HBCU community after video of the altercation circulated on TikTok. The incident, involving a Morehouse College student, prompted statements from both institutions and widespread reaction online.
Kayla Bryant, a junior at Clark Atlanta, posted the footage along with a video describing the attack. In it, Bryant appears visibly shaken and emotional as she recounts the incident.
Bryant says she rode the apartment shuttle when a couple boarded and began showing public affection. She moved seats and listened to music. As she prepared to exit, she says the man stepped on her foot. She later identified him as a Morehouse student.
“He steps on me and I say, ‘Excuse me, can you apologize?’” Bryant says in the video. “And he didn’t say anything. As I’m walking off the shuttle, his girlfriend is standing there….”
According to Bryant, the girlfriend confronted her and asked, “Is there a problem?” The two exchanged words, and Bryant says his girlfriend put her hands in Bryant’s face. Bryant says the girlfriend then turned to the Morehouse student and asked, “You got it, bae?”
Moments later, Bryant says, the Morehouse student placed her in a chokehold.
“He picks me up off of the ground and starts strangling me. I couldn’t breathe, and I was kicking off the walls to gain balance,” Bryant says. “He was telling me he was going to kill me.”
Bystanders gathered and recorded the altercation, and the clip quickly spread on TikTok. By Sunday, Bryant’s video had more than 349,000 views and 41,600 shares.
Morehouse College responded on Instagram, writing, “We want to state unequivocally that the behavior shown is disappointing and completely inconsistent with Morehouse’s mission, values and expectations of its community members.”
Additionally, President F. DuBois Bowman provided a personal stance.
“As a father of four, including two daughters, and as a president leading an instituion that uniquely develops Black men, it is even more imperative that we all maintain an unwavering commitment to upholding these core principles.” Bowman said.
Clark Atlanta University issued its own statement, saying its Department of Public Safety contacted Bryant, her family, Morehouse Public Safety and the Atlanta Police Department “to address this situation with both care and urgency.”
Clark Atlanta President George T. French Jr. also commented.
“We want to be clear: Violence as a whole within our society is antithetical and disruptive to our culture. Moreover, violence of any kind, particularly against women, is intolerable, unacceptable and has no place on our campuses,” French said.
The girlfriend later updated her Instagram bio to say, “I will be posting my side soon.”
The video sparked widespread outrage on social media, with many urging Morehouse to take disciplinary action.
“I just saw the disturbing video and Morehouse needs to permanently expel the young man,” one Instagram user wrote. “She should press charges and he should be made an example of!”
Federal student privacy regulations, such as FERPA, prohibit colleges and universities from disclosing specific details regarding individual student conduct matters.
As of Sunday, authorities had not released further updates. The investigation continues.
