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Girl who accused boys of holding her down, cutting her hair said she made it up

Police in Virginia are looking into a report that three boys pinned down a female classmate on the playground and cut off some of her dreadlocks.
(Source: Shutterstock/BlurryMe)

SPRINGFIELD, Va. (WTHR) — The sixth-grader who accused three boys of pinning her down and cutting her hair admitted that she made the story up.

Twelve-year-old Amari Allen told NBC affiliate WRC in Washington that the incident took place on the playground during recess. "The boys came up to me,” she said, “and they ambushed me, sort of. Like caged me in. And so, they put their hands over my mouth and put my hands behind my back and started cutting my hair and told me I was ugly."

However, over the weekend it was discovered that Allen had lied about the incident and admitted she cut her own hair, WUSA reported. The boys had never physically assaulted her.

On Monday, the family met with Immanual Christian School.

Stephen Danish, the head of the school, released the following statement to WUSA.

"We can now confirm that the student who accused three of her classmates of assault has acknowledged that the allegations were false. We’re grateful to the Fairfax County Police Department for their diligent work to investigate these allegations.

"While we are relieved to hear the truth and bring the events of the past few days to a close, we also feel tremendous pain for the victims and the hurt on both sides of this conflict. We recognize that we now enter what will be a long season of healing.

"This ordeal has revealed that we as a school family are not immune from the effects of deep racial wounds in our society. We view this incident as an opportunity to be part of a learning and healing process, and we will continue to support the students and families involved.

"We will also continue teaching what we’ve taught for more than 40 years: that the love of God is for all people, and as His children we should demonstrate that love equally to all people regardless of their background, what they believe, or how they behave.

"Below is the statement the Allen family has authorized us to release on their behalf:

"To those young boys and their parents, we sincerely apologize for the pain and anxiety these allegations have caused.

"To the administrators and families of Immanuel Christian School, we are sorry for the damage this incident has done to trust within the school family and the undue scorn it has brought to the school.

"To the broader community, who rallied in such passionate support for our daughter, we apologize for betraying your trust.

"We understand there will be consequences, and we’re prepared to take responsibility for them. We know that it will take time to heal, and we hope and pray that the boys, their families, the school and the broader community will be able to forgive us in time."

WTHR has updated this story to accurately reflect a change in what the sixth-grader says happened. She now says that no incident occurred, and she made it up.

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