5 Continuation Students Held in Assault Case

After a monthlong investigation, police have arrested five continuation students between the ages of 14 and 17 in connection with an attack that sent two Buena High School teens to the hospital.

By Friday, police booked five male students--who all attend the Gateway Ventura Satellite, located within the Dorothy Boswell School--on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and conspiracy.

“It’s our belief that we’ve identified all the involved parties and all of them have been taken into custody,” said Sgt. Gary McCaskill of the Ventura Police Department. Authorities said they believe all five teens, who attend the Loma Vista Road school, are part of a local gang.

The attack took place March 25 at the corner of Day and Loma Vista roads, startling residents of the midtown neighborhood. Police say the five suspects were responsible for stabbing a 15-year-old Buena High student in the back and beating up his 17-year-old schoolmate.

Both students were on a “power walk” with their classmates and instructors as part of a physical education exercise when they passed by the Boswell campus, police said.

Continuation students attending Gateway are referred or expelled, typically for minor crimes, truancy or drug use. The program is also open to teen parents who voluntarily seek the courses offered.

Police arrested one Gateway student at his Ventura home Thursday about 6 p.m. On Friday, two other students, who had skipped school, were arrested off campus. The remaining two suspects were arrested on the same day at the Boswell campus without incident.

“They came in and asked to speak to the students and made the arrest,” said Jim Compton, the county schools’ director of secondary education. “There was nothing to it. It was in and out.”

All five students were taken to Juvenile Hall on Friday. Police said the extent of involvement in the attacks differed from student to student.

“There weren’t five stabbers,” McCaskill said. “Not everyone took turns stabbing the guy. That’s not the case. It’s a little more complicated. They all are being charged with the same crime, even though each had different parts in the participation.”

School authorities said they cooperated with police and were kept aware of developments during the investigation. County Schools Supt. Charles Weis said Friday he is appreciative police have found the alleged attackers.

“I’m glad that they’ve got them under arrest, and I hope that if they were indeed involved, they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent and they won’t be coming back to the school,” Weis said.

The incident raised concerns from parents and residents about neighborhood safety and about the mix of students at the Boswell campus. The Dorothy Boswell school was created in 1982 for disabled and special education students but allowed the Gateway program on campus nine years ago when enrollment dipped.

“I certainly hope the school will be safer and some of the bad element will be removed, and I hope through the juvenile system [those arrested] won’t be placed back into the same school again,” said Lauren Velasco, a parent whose disabled son attends physical therapy at the school.

Authorities say the attacks were gang related, but the motive is still murky.

“I don’t know what the motive was,” McCaskill said. “I can tell you what happened, I can’t tell you why they did it, except that part of what a gang is, is that they collectively come together to commit a crime.”