Stiff Sentences Given 4 Youths Spark Brawl

Stiff jail sentences given four black youths described by the judge as “racist savages” triggered a full-scale brawl Tuesday between their supporters and police, resulting in four more arrests.

The melee began after Hamilton County Common Pleas Court Judge Thomas Crush handed down sentences of up to six years against the four defendants.

The melee spilled into the hall outside the courtroom.

The youths were being sentenced for the brutal beating of Brandon Rice, 17, a white student, at Western Hills High School.