Black Student Arrested In Classroom After Heated Argument With University Professor [Video]

A Black student was arrested at North Carolina's Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) following a disagreement with a professor.

The incident occurred at around 8 a.m. Wednesday in a classroom and was captured by multiple students on their phones. One of the videos shared on social media shows the student, identified as Leilla Marie, getting handcuffed by two campus police officers.

As she was being taken by law enforcement, Marie was heard yelling at the professor, identified as Dr. Cynthia Villagomez, and asking if she was being arrested for refusing to apologize, Yahoo news reported.

"You get me taken out of here because you don't want to apologize because I won't apologize? You started yelling at me. You tried to embarrass me about my paper. You're a terrible teacher," the student was heard saying.

"You [the professor] were yelling at her," another student said in the background, supporting Marie.

The video has garnered millions of views since being shared on social media.

In a now-deleted Instagram live Thursday, Marie explained what happened between her and the professor before her arrest. In snippets of the Instagram live, shared by The Shade Room, Marie talked about how the issue began over a class essay she refused to rework even though she was reminded it was important for her overall grade.

Marie said the professor gave her the feedback with hardly six hours left for the submission. "I'm not going back and redoing this essay that took me two weeks and you told me six hours before," she reportedly said in the video. "And I still came to the final to present with my group because that was what we were supposed to do."

An argument between the professor and the student escalated during the group project submission in class and Marie said she was told to apologize or leave the classroom. She stayed in the class because the submission was critical to her grade, the student said.

Shortly after, a university employee who heard the confrontation from another classroom called the police, according to NBC News.

"I'm not gonna lie, I got loud back," Marie reportedly said. She was released by law enforcement "with bruises and a 2nd-degree misdemeanor," the student revealed.

Marie also maintained she was not in the wrong, adding she was heartbroken. "Did not expect it to happen. Didn't want that to happen to anybody else. I'm just heartbroken," she said in the videos posted on Instagram.

Marie also shared her decision not to return or continue her education at the university.

"I will no longer be representing WSSU," Marie said on her Instagram live. "I can say with a whole lot of confidence that I don't feel like WSSU deserves my representation."

Meanwhile, WSSU Chancellor issued a statement, noting they "understand that the weaponization of police is a prevalent problem in our community; however, that is not what happened in this incident."

"There was a significant commotion in Carolina Hall this morning, and as such, a WSSU employee nearby called for the assistance of law enforcement after they tried to de-escalate the situation," the statement added. "We know this situation has caused a great deal of trauma to those involved and our campus community at large, but please know that every available resource is being extended to bring a resolution."

University spokesperson Haley Gingles gave a statement Thursday saying that having the student arrested was the last resort as her confrontation with the professor went on for more than 10 minutes, WXII12 reported.

"From the time the initial disturbance started until the end when the video clip started, it was a significant amount of time," Gingles said. "Certainly it was more than 10 minutes."