School fight turns into riot-9 arrested
Vancouver, Washington March 19 2019
Video footage shows a game night brawl at a middle school that spiraled out of control leading to a small army of police officers being called in and nine student arrests.
Around 5.40pm, a 911 caller reported a fight between students at a basketball tournament at Gaiser Middle School located in Vancouver, Washington, according to a Clark County Sheriff’s Office press release.
The caller also went on to report that a group of teens were interfering with the removal of one of the students, and that they were assaulting school officials.
When three deputies from the sheriff’s office arrived, they were allegedly met with verbal hostilities from teens that included racial slurs, cursing and threats of violence.
When we got here there was a mob that was around the school staff trying to deal with the kids that were being the problem and they were actually being assaulted while they were trying to deal with one of the problem kids,’ said Sgt. Chad Rothenberger to KGW news.
As the mob of kids, approximately 60 to 70 strong, closed in, the deputies requested backup that brought units from the Sheriff’s Office, Washington State Patrol and the Vancouver Police Department
About 33 officers eventually ended up on scene attempting to deal with the escalating situation.
‘They were screaming foul words and names, and they just started fighting with everybody all over again,’ said Denise Blas, a woman who lives across the street who recorded some video of the incident.
‘The school counselors were there, the school police were there, all the Vancouver PD was there. It was out of control. It was crazy,’ she said.
As students still gathered about outside, the school security manager told law enforcement on scene that the students involved in the mess were no longer allowed on school property.
After officers laid out an ultimatum, stating that any student remaining on the grounds would be trespassing, several refused to disperse, according to the sheriff’s office.
One sheriff’s deputy received minor injuries after struggling with one such student who allegedly resisted.
‘It was just like being in an episode of the Twilight Zone,’ said Sgt. Rothenberger. ‘It was really crazy really quickly.’
The nine students arrested during the fracas were charged with trespassing, failure to disperse, assault, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest.
