In Colton, California, a violent altercation between two 14-year-old middle school students at Jehue Middle School was caught on video and has since gone viral on social media. The video shows a girl throwing a laptop at a boy, who then retaliates by shouting a racial slur and throwing her onto a desk, rendering her unconscious.
The incident, which occurred on Monday (March 10), has sparked community outrage, particularly over the decision to cite the girl involved. At a news conference, community leaders, including Pastor Samuel Casey of New Life Christian Church, expressed their disapproval, calling for the girl's citation to be dropped and labeling the attack as racially motivated. "We call on you to drop that citation on the young lady immediately," said Casey. "It's unacceptable."
However, the Colton Police Department stated that the girl was cited for assault with a deadly weapon after allegedly hitting the boy multiple times in the head with a metal hydro flask before the recorded video began. The boy, on the other hand, was cited for battery, not for the incident in the video, but for earlier horseplay with a water pistol.
According to a friend of the girl, Rosemary Hidalgo, the altercation began when the boy sprayed water at them, prompting the girl to react aggressively. Another student claimed that the girl was the aggressor, saying she struck the boy several times with the hydro flask.
The Rialto Unified School District reported that a substitute teacher was present during the incident. Although the video does not show the teacher intervening, the district stated that a call was made to safety officers, and the situation is under investigation.
ABC7 and Daily News report that the incident is still under investigation.