A shocking video revealed the moment a mass brawl ensued in a high school compound in Arizona.
More than 30 students were involved in the brawl which broke out between them and a parent of two boys who had come to pick them up from school. The dramatic footage from Tuesday shows Willie Smith, 40, and the students in a massive fight, punching and kicking each other.
Mr Smith showed up at the Tuscon High School to pick up his two sons who were being sent home after a “disturbance” with another group of students.
Police said that the father was told to exit the school premises through a back gate to avoid any further confrontation with fellow students.
But Mr Smith reportedly refused and took his sons through the school’s main courtyard during lunch break. He had told the staff that one of his sons was being bullied in school and that he wouldn’t resort to violence.
According to court documents, Mr Smith is reported to have said: “If it’s going down, it’s going down here.”
While walking through the courtyard, the father and his two sons were allegedly taunted by a group of students.
Local media reported that the father admitted to fighting with a student, allegedly throwing a series of punches and pinning him to the ground.
Mr Smith was later arrested on a felony charge of disrupting an educational institute. He claimed that the student had been assaulting his son.
Police said that this “incident occurred in a large area of the campus during a busy time of day (lunch hour)”. The initial investigation has revealed that no weapons were brought into the campus by the parent and no injuries or medical transport have been reported.
“We can confirm no officers used any type of force that including pepper spray, if it was used it was not by our department,” a statement said.
Meanwhile, Rosalinda Martinez, the sister of Mr Smith, said her brother had been released on Tuesday night amid further investigation. She was quoted as saying by local media that the “judge had seen all the videos and understood the circumstances and told him they could have done things differently and avoid it all. I’m sure the kids are going to need some kind of counselling. That was too much trauma. One of my nephews had a concussion.”
The school was also placed on a lockdown for several hours as the chaos unfolded.
“The school is currently in a safety protocol due to an incident on campus. Tucson Police Department and TUSD School Safety immediately responded and will remain on campus for the remainder of the day to ensure there are no additional issues,” a statement said.
“All students and staff are safe and the campus should return to its regular class schedule within the hour.”
