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Brooklyn Band Leader Duct-Taped Student's Mouth Closed, Police Say

By Camille Bautista | October 28, 2015 1:18pm
 Soul Tiger Marching Band leader Kenyatte Hughes was arrested Tuesday after allegedly duct-taping a student's mouth, officials said.
Soul Tiger Marching Band leader Kenyatte Hughes was arrested Tuesday after allegedly duct-taping a student's mouth, officials said.
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DNAinfo/Camille Bautista

EAST NEW YORK — The leader of a well-known Brooklyn youth marching band was arrested Tuesday after duct-taping a student’s mouth closed, according to police.

Kenyatte Hughes, 39, is accused of covering a 9-year-old’s mouth with tape Monday at a Vermont Street school in East New York, police said.

The incident took place around 5 p.m. at J.H.S. 292., an NYPD spokesman said. The student suffered injuries when the tape was removed.

Officers with the Special Victims Unit arrested Hughes after the victim’s parents filed a complaint, according to police.

Hughes led the popular Soul Tigers Marching Band, a group that appeared in an ad for Tommy Hilfiger and performed at several citywide events including the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Most recently, Hughes fought to keep the youth group’s space within J.H.S. 292, citing clashes with school administrators that he said restricted rehearsal time for the independent band’s 60-plus students.

The volunteer band leader faces charges of assault, endangering the welfare of a child and criminal possession of a weapon, officials said.

Calling the charges “deeply troubling,” Department of Education spokeswoman Devora Kaye said the after-school program volunteer will no longer be allowed at J.H.S. 292 or any of the DOE’s schools.