Riverside school district grapples with fights at two high schools
The Riverside Unified School District is grappling with at least two fights that broke out at its schools this week.
The fights occurred at Ramona High School on Wednesday and Martin Luther King High School on Monday, according to the Riverside Police Department and the school district.
On Wednesday at about 1 p.m., a school resource officer assigned to Ramona responded to student unrest at the end of the lunch period, the Riverside Police Department posted on Facebook.
A student was refusing to follow the directions from the school resource officer and a school administrator, and the student resisted attempts by the officer to detain him, according to police. The student’s sister then attacked the officer, police said, resulting in more police officers coming to take both students into custody.
A 14-year-old was beaten by three people outside Patriot High School in Riverside. No arrests have been made.
An 18-year-old student was booked into jail for resisting arrest, and his 14-year-old sister was booked into the Riverside County juvenile detention facility for violence against an officer, according to police.
The 18-year-old sustained minor scratches as a result of the altercation, police said.
A video of another fight has been circulating on social media, showing two students at Martin Luther King getting into a fight on Monday, according to KTLA-TV Channel 5.
The Riverside Unified School District confirmed the existence of the video in a statement Thursday.
Researchers at UCLA have found a sharp decrease in violence and victimization at California schools from 2001 through 2019.
“This matter has had the full attention of Riverside Unified School District administration and is being addressed expeditiously,” said the school district, adding that it has been working to try to ensure the safety of students.
One of the students involved in the fight is no longer attending Martin Luther King, the school district said.
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