A Westbury High School assistant principal has been arrested and charged after allegedly assaulting a 20-year-old former student.
Bryan Devon Tigner has been arrested and charged with sexual assault following the allegations.
According to court documents, the incident happened on Sept. 27 at Tigner’s apartment in Houston.
Malachi Knight-Boyle, the 20-year-old victim in the alleged assault who chose to come forward, sat down with KPRC 2′s Corley Peel to discuss the situation.
Corley Peel: “Why is it so important for you to speak up?”
Malachi Knight-Boyle: “I don’t want it to happen to anyone else. I know that he works with a lot of other kids. Young men. This could happen anywhere.”
The documents allege that Tigner invited Knight-Boyle to his apartment, where they consumed alcohol and marijuana. Knight-Boyle said nothing seemed unusual about their activities that evening.
“I was just chillin’ on the couch,” Knight-Boyle said. “We played a game. We were drinking and smoking. The usual. How we usually would do.”
Knight-Boyle fell asleep on the couch but awoke around 4 a.m. to find Tigner performing oral sex on him without his consent.
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The documents also state that Knight-Boyle struck Tigner in the face in self-defense before Tigner stopped the assault.
“I was just terrified,” Knight-Boyle said. “I just started fighting, fighting him off.”
Tigner then ordered an Uber for the young man, who left the apartment and contacted 911. Before he left, Knight-Boyle said Tigner attempted to stop him from leaving, trying to offer him $50. After leaving, the victim later provided a statement to Houston police and underwent a sexual assault examination at a local hospital.
Detectives conducted an investigation and obtained a voluntary statement from Tigner, who claimed the encounter was consensual. However, inconsistencies were found in Tigner’s account. Investigators noted that Tigner initially claimed the bruising under his eye came from a school fight the day before the alleged assault. However, detectives found no evidence of injury in videos of the school fight from that day.
Tigner, who serves as a mentor to teen boys through a program at Westbury High School, confirmed that he had known the victim for several months and had invited him over that night.
The victim said that he was never mentored by Tigner while attending the school. The two had become friends after Tigner reached out to him on Instagram.
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The former student told police that he and Tigner had no prior romantic relationship and had only been friends, occasionally drinking and smoking together. He expressed his willingness to speak about the incident publicly as the case moves forward.
Tigner was taken into custody and has been charged with felony sexual assault. The investigation remains active, with detectives continuing to gather evidence.
Corley Peel: “You know, other people are going to be watching this. What would you encourage they do if they’re in a situation like you’ve been in?”
Malachi Knight-Boyle: “There’s always going to be someone you can talk to. If something happens to you, you don’t have to go through it alone.”
Houston ISD released the following statement regarding the incident:
“HISD cannot comment on the status of any specific personnel issue or investigation. However, the District is aware of the incident and is cooperating with law enforcement. It is standard practice for any employee accused of a criminal offense to be removed from campus pending the outcome of the investigation.”
HPD says they don’t have any information on whether or not there could be other victims, but they’re asking anyone who has information to contact the Special Victims Division at 713-308-1180