MD school security officer injured breaking up student fight
CLARKSBURG, Md. December 12 2018 A brawl in the halls of Clarksburg High School left a security guard injured with “deep scratches” to his scalp, Montgomery County Police confirm.
At least one cell phone camera captured the fight, which erupted around noon on Thursday, Nov. 29. The 33-second video, which was provided to ABC7, shows one security guard tossed into a wall, and another flung onto the floor amid utter chaos. While it is difficult to make out any specific words, there is constant shouting and screaming. More than 20 people can be seen standing around the fight. The video’s creator superimposed the words “only cburg” over the entire clip.
“Everybody was talking about it,” said 12th grader Anthony Aparicio who saw the video on Snapchat. “It’s one of those things that brings the school reputation down, and it can really affect how people see Clarksburg now.”
According to a police report, Clarksburg’s school resource officer was on campus when someone alerted him about a “large crowd forming around the attendance office.” The SRO found three security guards caught in the middle of the violent scuffle. He radioed for police backup from outside of the school.
The SRO noted that he observed a 17-year-old “actively fighting” and a 16-year-old “push one of the security officers.” Police have since charged both teens with second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and disruption of school operations. Their cases are being handled by the juvenile court system.
The fight occurred on Nov. 29, near the attendance office.
Police charged a 16yo + 17yo w/ assault + disorderly conduct. Case is in juvenile court.
Principal Edward Owusu sent an email that same day to the Clarksburg community, writing in part:
“An altercation occurred during lunch between two students. Members of our security team immediately intervened to break up the fight.”
Owusu went on to say he was “disappointed” in the way a “small group of students” behaved following a disagreement. He urged parents to teach their children responsible ways to address conflict, and listed the wealth of resources available to students in moments of strife.
“There are administrators, counselors, security, teachers, and other adults in the building who are readily available to provide assistance,” Owusu wrote.
“An altercation occurred during lunch between two students. Members of our security team immediately intervened to break up the fight.”
The principal also urged parents to teach kids how to resolve disagreements.
Compare that w/ 91% at Damascus HS and 97% at Poolesville HS.
In fact, Clarksburg earned the lowest parent-safety rating of all MCPS high schools. pic.twitter.com/GjwB8Eem2F
According to MCPS’ latest ‘Safety and Security at a Glance,’ report, 81 percent of parents at Clarksburg stated their child felt safe at school. Compare that with nearby Damascus High School, which scored a 91 percent, and Poolesville High School, which scored a 97 percent. In fact, Clarksburg earned the lowest parent-safety rating among all 26 mainline public high schools in Montgomery County.
“It’s always something at this school,” said Lisa Lyles, whose daughter is a sophomore at Clarksburg. “I don’t care how much security there [is], I don’t care how many police they have outside, it’s not safe.”
Clarksburg’s SRO has reviewed school surveillance video and conducted interviews in hopes of piecing together a better sequence of events. Authorities, however, claim that they have not confirmed what prompted the brawl.
Multiple students tell ABC7 that the injured security guard has returned to his post at Clarksburg, and is in overall good spirits.
“He was a staff member who came here to do his job, and to be attacked by the people he was supposed to be taking care of… It’s kind of unreasonable,” Aparicio concluded.
WJLA
