LAKEWOOD, N.J. – An hour-long fight involving 150 students and police officers resulted in the arrests of 11 students and one adult Nov. 12.
According to students, the fight took place in the parking lot of Lakewood High School and involved two students who did not attend the school. Soon after, gang members engaged in the brawl, which then led to police bringing in dogs.
Police tried to control the situation by ordering students to remain in the cafeteria. The fight, however, soon was out of control. According to police, officers were attacked by students who threw themselves on officers and clobbered them with chairs.
Students said that officers were in riot attire, used pepper spray, brought in dogs and hit one student with a walkie-talkie. Authorities from four bordering cities were called to handle the situation.
As a result of the brawl, one student received stitches in the head. A variety of cuts and bruises were sustained by students and police officers alike.
The following day, more than 500 students of the 1,370 students that attend the school did not show up. School administrators refused to guess the cause of the scuffle; however, police are still investigating. They believe gang activity was involved or an unsolved problem created the incident.
Police also dismiss any accusations that they mistreated students.