Only on ABC13: Camera captures Aldine ISD school bus fight that led to girl's broken eye socket

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A seventh grader at Drew Academy, which is part of the Aldine Independent School District, is facing charges after allegedly assaulting a girl on the bus ride home.

The victim was left with serious injuries, according to her mother.

In a video that you'll see only on ABC13, two boys are seen beating the victim, but the Harris County District Attorney's Office only charged one of them because, according to the victim's mom, the girl fought back against the first boy but couldn't defend herself against the second.

The incident happened on Oct. 4, when Gabby Edwards rode the bus home from school for the first time.

The experience, she said, was smooth until a boy started throwing marbles at the back of her head.

"I told him to stop throwing it at me, and he said, 'What are you going to do about it?' And he pulled up his pants, and I started walking back to my seat, and he started hitting on me," Gabby said.

She then said she attempted to fight off the boy, who was noticeably bigger than her. He's a minor and hasn't been charged, so ABC13 is not identifying him.

About 12 seconds into the video, a boy with a camo-print backpack lunges over and begins wailing on Gabby.

According to Aldine ISD, the bus driver noticed a constable pumping gas at a nearby Kroger, so he let Gabby off, hoping to get her help.

The victim's mom, Myra Grover, said when she got there, witnesses told her Gabby was in the emergency room.

"A lady that was at the gas station saw Gabby lying in the grass and called 911," Grover recalled.

According to Grover, Gabby suffered a broken eye socket and a bruised nose.

Aldine ISD said the district attorney only accepted charges for the second boy, who is also a minor. ABC13 is also not identifying this person.

"Only one boy was given a consequence. Boy number one was arrested. Why was boy number two not arrested? He initiated the fight, and because she put her hands up to try to defend herself. You're now saying that's mutual combat?" Grover said.

The school district disclosed a statement to ABC13 in response to questions about the incident:

"Aldine ISD is aware that an altercation took place between three students on a district bus on Oct. 4. The Aldine ISD Police Department, as well as nearby local law enforcement, arrived on the scene to defuse the situation and begin an investigation. One of the students involved was transported to a local hospital.

Aldine ISD does not condone this type of behavior, and those who engage in such behavior will be disciplined per the district's Student Code of Conduct. All three students will lose their bus privileges for the remainder of the school year, and they will be separated on campus. Bus attendants are only required for our SPED students, and this route does not require a bus attendant. Criminal charges are determined by the Harris County District Attorney's Office (HCDA). In this case, the HCDA chose to file Serious Bodily Injury charges against one of the students."

Gabby said she doesn't feel safe on the bus and wants to see the district make changes.

"(We need) more bus drivers, like some bus drivers that can help the situation instead of just standing there," Gabby said.

Gabby's mom added that a bus attendant could have helped in this situation, but the district said attendants are only assigned to buses carrying students in the special education program.

She also said she plans to pull Gabby from Drew Academy.