Student slams principal to floor during cafeteria melee caught on video
Three Sacramento-area high school students were arrested after a principal was slammed to the floor during a melee that was recorded on video and posted to social media.
Two 15-year-olds and a 13-year-old face serious charges, including making threats to students and law enforcement and battery on school staff, in connection with Monday’s cafeteria brawl at Florin High School, said Sacramento County sheriff’s Sgt. Tony Turnbull.
Video of the fracas was later posted to YouTube and Facebook.
The video shows students yelling and running while others frantically climb onto tables to watch a fight between students. At some point during the fight, a student wrestled with Principal Don Ross and violently shoved him to the floor. Ross got back to his feet and restrained the student with the help of other adults.
Three school officials were injured and needed medical attention, Ross said in a letter sent to parents later that day. None of the students were injured.
In the letter, obtained by KTXL-TV, Ross explained that 10 to 12 students were involved in two separate incidents, resulting in multiple fights.
In the first incident, eight to 10 students were fighting over a week-old dispute about a relationship, he said. Later, another brawl broke out between two students after one insulted another.
Ross said the students involved would be disciplined.
“The safety of our students and staff is a top priority at our school,” Ross wrote in the letter.
Florin high is one of nine high schools, not including a regional occupational program, in the Elk Grove Unified School District. Nearly 1,500 students attend the high school, which is about 11 miles from the state’s capitol.
School officials suspended four students last year, according to a California Department of Education’s school accountability report card. The report did not list the reason for the suspensions.
School officials will hold a meeting Thursday evening to discuss Monday’s disturbance and their plans on moving forward.
For breaking news in California, follow @VeronicaRochaLA.
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