Ex-Indiana Teacher Accused of Creating 'Fight Club' for Students to Beat Up Classmate, 7, with Disabilities

Julious Johnican was among several staff named in the lawsuit alleging disturbing abuse of a student

• A lawsuit alleges that a school staff member told the boy he was "demonically possessed"

• Julious Johnican allegedly accidentally exposed the abuse to the boy's mother while trying to show her a video of his classroom, per the suit

• On two occasions, Johnican allegedly held the boy while others assaulted him, per the suit

A former Indiana schoolteacher has been accused of inciting and urging his 2nd-grade students to attack a classmate with disabilities, according to a lawsuit obtained by PEOPLE.

Julious Johnican, of the George Washington Carver School No. 87 in Indianapolis, Ind., is among several school staff members named in the suit filed Tuesday by the boy’s mother.

The lawsuit alleges that during the 2023-24 school year, Johnican allegedly engineered several attacks when the boy was "thrown to the ground, struck, slapped, and hit in the head repeatedly," including two occasions when Johnican allegedly held the boy as the attackers punched, hit, and kicked him.

Johnican has not been charged with a crime. A spokesperson for Indianapolis police tells PEOPLE that they are investigating the claims made in the suit.

Another teacher allegedly told the boy that students with special needs "were demonically possessed," and that he needed to be baptized.

The lawsuit alleges Johnican abused the boy for "his own amusement" and as a "disciplinary measure," adding that the teacher created a “reprehensible ‘fight club’ type" environment in the class.

The boy began complaining about the alleged abuse to his mother soon into the school year.

When the mother tried address it with Johnican, he allegedly "dismissed" her claims, painting the boy as a liar and as someone with mental illness, per the lawsuit.

The suit alleges that Johnican himself accidentally exposed the abuse during a meeting with the boy's parents to discuss his conduct.

While trying to show the boy's parents a video of the "classroom environment," he accidentally played a video of the alleged abuse itself, per the lawsuit. When the parents tried to grab the phone, Johnican accidentally increased the volume. The parents allegedly realized he had been "encouraging the beating of their disabled seven-year-old," the suit claims.

Indiana Public Schools Superintendent Aleesia Johnson, the school's principal Mary Kapcoe, the assistant principal, a substitute teacher and a behavioral consultant are also named in the suit.

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A spokesperson for Superintendent Johnson did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's requests for comments. The phone number listed on the school's website was no longer active as of Friday afternoon.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

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Read the original article on People.