California police arrested and jailed eight young girls following a brawl at a San Francisco-area middle school that caused a stampede and left several students with minor injuries.
The group of students from Sinaloa Middle School, who range in age from 12 to 14, were booked May 28 into the Marin County Juvenile Hall on charges of conspiracy and felony assault after they allegedly ambushed and beat up two classmates, the Novato Police Department said.
Because of their ages, the juveniles have not been identified by authorities
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When the fracas erupted, other students began filming with their cellphones and cheering, police said.
Video of the incident, obtained by local Fox affiliate KTVU, shows a girl on the floor being pummeled and kicked by three other students.
Another student who tried to break up the fight was also pounded and dropped, while this individual and the first victim were taken to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
According to an email sent to parents, which was obtained by the TV station, students were aware of the fight a day before the first punch was thrown.
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Novato Unified School District administrators launched an investigation and identified the alleged assailants, leading to the roundup by police.
The same day of the arrests, Sinaloa Middle School Principal Christy Stocker and other district officials met with more than 200 parents at the school.
“This was a horrific attack,” district superintendent Tracy Smith said during the standing-room-only meeting, according to the Marin Independent Journal. “It’s completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”
Parents of the injured students also attended the meeting and said their children were OK physically but not doing as well emotionally.
Other parents at the meeting criticized officials for failing to prevent the assault despite knowing at least a day in advance that trouble was brewing.
Many voices in the audience also expressed anger as similar violent episodes have occurred at the school recently and were making children increasingly afraid to come to school.
Some parents accused school officials of sitting on their hands and failing to ever deliver an appropriate response.
“Honestly, from my perspective, the school didn’t even deal with it at all,” McAlpine told KTVU. “They brushed it under the rug. This was three years ago, so for three years, I’ve been watching systemic violence.”
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“I feel like the school is trying to address the issue in a way that’s not direct,” McAlpine told the station. “They don’t want to make any admissions. They’re trying to avoid saying a lot of things I believe they care but I believe they care a lot more about their reputation.”
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