LARGO, Fla. - A substitute teacher at Oakhurst Elementary School has been arrested after striking a special needs student with a lunch box containing a metal canister, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.

The backstory:

On Monday, 65-year-old David Jones was assigned to a special needs classroom when the victim started hitting and kicking as a sign of communication, according to PCSO.

Investigators say that Jones responded by striking the child in the face, causing a welt on the child's forehead.

When deputies confronted Jones about the incident, he responded by saying that it was a "knee-jerk" reaction and that he knew the child had special needs.

Jones was taken to the Pinellas County Jail and was charged with one count of child abuse.

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