Students Brawl With Riverside Police

Student-police skirmish sparks 'pandemonium'
11:17 PM PDT on Friday, April 8, 2011

By JOHN ASBURY and DAYNA STRAEHLEY
The Press-Enterprise

Dozens of students brawled with police Friday afternoon at a Riverside alternative education school after a student punched an on-campus officer as he was trying to remove the boy from a classroom and take him to the principal's office at Arlington Regional Learning Center.

Lt. Guy Toussaint said it's unclear if it was a coordinated attack against police.

"Basically pandemonium broke out," Toussaint said. "We can't say they were all jumping on the officer, but we're trying to figure out how many people were involved."

Up to 10 students were expected to be arrested on charges ranging from assault on an officer to inciting a riot.

"Riverside County Office of Education, like all districts in Riverside County, seeks to provide a safe and secure environment," spokesman Rick Peoples said. "A swift response to today's incident at the Arlington Regional Learning Center by the Riverside Police Department and Riverside County Probation Department restored order and calm to the campus."

The school is one of five Riverside County office of education sites that offers programs for students expelled from other schools and those on probation, as well as career education classes and classes for students in special education. The school has programs for a high percentage of students who have been expelled from other schools and students on probation for crimes from robbery to rape. Records show 168 students enrolled in the school.

HOW MELEE BEGAN

The melee started shortly after noon when an officer stationed at the campus was asked to take a disruptive student to see the principal after the teen refused to return his lunch tray, Toussaint said.

The student punched the officer in a second-floor hallway. As the officer defended himself, students returning from lunch and streaming out of classrooms joined the brawl.

The officer, who was not identified, called for emergency backup. More than 30 Riverside police, Riverside County sheriff and California Highway Patrol cars descended on the school.

A team of officers formed a skirmish line, a formation intended to disperse large crowds, Toussaint said. As officers moved through the crowd, they swung batons and jabbed forward to clear a path.

After the riot was quelled, the crowd dispersed and several students in the fight hid in classrooms and other parts of the building. Police called at least four ambulances to the scene. The school was placed on lockdown as officers canvassed the building and detained everyone involved.

Three students were taken to hospitals, but no serious injuries were reported. One boy was led into an ambulance, holding his bloodied nose with handcuffs around his wrists.

One officer was taken by ambulance with blood on his face and his hand wrapped in bandages. Two other officers were treated for minor injuries.

A line of parents stood outside the school waiting for their children to be individually released.

Force Questioned

Some students and parents accused police of excessive force.

Several students reported minor injuries from being struck with the clubs and from being held down by officers. Students said officers drew guns with rubber bullets and beanbags and pointed them at students, but did not fire.

Vivian Pezina, 15, said she was walking to class when she was hit by a nightstick, and then police pulled her to the ground by her hair. She was released to her parents with a red mark on her arm and blood on her hand. She said she wasn't involved in the fight.

"I couldn't do nothing. My head was held on the ground," Pezina said. "They shouldn't have attacked anyone who wasn't involved in the fight."

When officers are attacked, they have a right to defend themselves and use any force necessary to make an arrest, Toussaint said.

"There are 160 students at that school. They were not all involved, but I'd think it's fair to say many more students were involved than officers," Toussaint said. "Officers responded and their duty is to try to reinstate order as quickly as possible to keep themselves and the general public safe. Sometimes when you're outnumbered, a good show of force is what you need."

Warning signs

Friday's violence didn't surprise teachers at Arlington Regional Learning Center, said Mike Bochicchio, president of the Riverside County Office Teachers Association.

It has other classes for special education students, classes for career technical education and programs for previous dropouts to return to school.

Alternative education teachers feel administrators haven't taken their concerns seriously or worked cooperatively to make the school safer, Bochicchio said.

Instead of administrators' working with teachers on ways to deal with some students' disruptive and sometimes violent behavior, an October grievance by the teachers union was dismissed, as was a follow-up, Bochicchio said.

"Teachers have had long-standing concerns about safety," Bochicchio said.

Staff writer Richard Brooks contributed to this report.

dam gud shit lol

LOL, crazzzy