An assistant football coach at Blanche Ely High School in Pompano Beach was arrested Monday after allegedly punching multiple students during an argument at football practice, according to deputies and school district officials.
Jamir Clarke, 29, was booked into the Broward Main Jail on multiple charges of child abuse without great bodily harm. He remained in the jail as of Wednesday night.
The fight happened during a meeting in the weightlifting room hosted by the head coach, according to a redacted probable cause affidavit released by the Broward Sheriff’s Office Wednesday. The head coach told deputies that he allowed Clarke to talk about “some negative social media posts” about something related to Clarke during the meeting, which turned into a verbal argument with some of the students.
A minor student admitted to making a negative post, and then Clarke allegedly punched the student who “got into Clarke’s face” during the argument, one witness said, according to the affidavit said. Other students “rushed Clarke who then began swinging punches,” hitting at least three people.
Another person who witnessed the fight told deputies that Clarke was not “surrounded” by anyone and that he could have de-escalated the argument but instead walked up to one of the students and punched him in the face, according to the affidavit, “inciting a brawl.”
Jamir Clarke, 29, was arrested on Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, after allegedly hitting students during an argument at football practice at Blanche Ely High School in Pompano Beach, according to deputies. (Broward Sheriff’s Office/Courtesy)
A second minor student was hit in his chest while trying to break up the fight. Another student was injured when he tried to restrain Clarke and was hit in his face, and Clarke hit a fourth student in his stomach during the struggle, according to the affidavit.
When deputies arrived, they found Clarke sitting in the dark locker room, the affidavit said. He spoke with deputies at the Pompano Beach district office but his statement is redacted in the affidavit.
The student who initially fought with Clarke told deputies that he and Clarke had called one another a “b—-” during the argument, which escalated when Clarke punched him in the face, according to the affidavit. Another witness corroborated the student’s account.
“The employee in question is being reassigned as we review the matter for further action, up to and including termination,” Broward County Public Schools Chief Communications Officer John J. Sullivan said in a statement. “We are deeply disturbed by this incident, as the safety and well-being of our students is our number one priority.”
Prinicipal Tavures Williams in a message to families on Tuesday said Clarke, without naming him, would no longer be coaching at the school and had no other position on campus.
Since Monday, video has circulated on social media, allegedly showing the same employee fighting a student in a bathroom at Monarch High School in Coconut Creek, WSVN-Ch. 7 reported.
The school district in a statement said that video was recorded in September, when Clarke was working as a campus monitor, and was not reported at the time. The incident is also being reviewed.
Clarke has worked for the school district since December 2024.
He previously worked at a Walmart in 2018 in the store’s grocery department, according to Broward County court records, where he was accused of petit retail theft. He was not adjudicated of the charge. He has no other criminal history in Broward County.
