Police are investigating videos showing fights that happened 3 days before masked group got into Auburn school
Safety concerns at Auburn Riverside High School
Auburn Police have confirmed that they are investigating videos that show two fights that happened inside and outside Auburn Riverside High School.
AUBURN, Wash. - Auburn Police have confirmed that they are investigating videos that show two fights that happened inside and outside Auburn Riverside High School.
The fights occurred on Oct.13, before a group wearing masks were let into the school last Monday, Oct. 16. It's believed the two fights on Friday may be connected to that hallway incident.
Students say that the first fight on the 13th occurred inside the school near the stairs. Later that afternoon, students told FOX 13 another fight was caught by cell phone cameras outside. During the second fight, the superintendent said students who were disciplined earlier came back to school grounds. Three days later, masked group of five got into the school, running through the halls, punching at least one student and pushing others.
One parent who spoke at an Auburn School Board meeting on Monday said that she wanted to know if more cameras would be put in place at the school along with additional alarms or other measures to keep kids safe.
"They need to know this can’t happen again. I think that’s really my biggest fear to be honest," said Jacqualine Boles, Parent of a senior at Auburn Riverside High School.
Boles says her son witnessed the madness on October 16th first-hand. She said he heard the commotion and ran to the hallway to see what was going on. At that time, he could see people running down the hallways. Monday night, Boles asked the school board to explain the safety plan moving forward.
"I was really stunned to be quite honest, to see the chaos, to see the masks fighting ,they had the video from Friday swirling, they had the video from Monday going," said Boles.
Auburn Police spokesperson Kolby Crossley said Monday that investigators had identified three kids believed to have been involved in the hallway incident and are working on possible charges.
"Three of the five were clearly known, and again they had medical masks with a hood on, like a hoodie sweatshirt, which was challenging at first, but it didn’t take long to figure out who the students who were students of the school actually were, and they have received appropriate discipline in this time," said Alan Spicciati, Superintendent Auburn Schools.
>> Masked group let into Auburn Riverside High School
The school also issued a statement saying, "We have watched video both from our cameras and those submitted by students. We also have conducted interviews with students and in some cases family members. We have received more than 40 tips to the anonymous Safe Schools tip line. We appreciate all of the information being submitted. We will continue to have additional security measures and will be working with students on how to keep our campus safe."
"They understood this is not normal. We as a community are shook by what occurred," said Boles.
Though there were tips coming in regarding other threats last week, the superintendent said during the board meeting Monday night that none were deemed credible. He says some parents did pull some kids from class with 30% of the students out of class last Thursday. However, he said they started to come back to school Friday in greater numbers. He reported that attendance was mostly back to normal Monday, October 23.
"I hope they keep reassuring our kids," said Boles. "I want the teachers to know they did an amazing job. My student went Monday, came back Friday. He said they let us talk about it."