Howard University Lieutenant Suspended, Security Officer Fired for Response to Attack on Students
A mob of 20-50 teens kicked, punched, and stomped several Howard University students. One student was stabbed.
Photo: Postmodern Studio, Adobe Stock
Washington, D.C. – Howard University is bolstering security following a violent brawl that broke out near the school’s residence halls last weekend that left several people injured, including one student who was stabbed.
On August 13, a large group of 20-50 local teenagers gathered at a nearby field, only to be quickly kicked off the field by Metropolitan Police. The mob, which is part of a notorious “fight club” that local law enforcement has been tracking for the past few months, then came onto Howard University’s campus, reports NewsOne.
Video of the incident shows the teens kicking, punching, and stomping one another. The teens also attacked several students by the Howard Plaza Towers Apartments. Some of the attackers chased Howard students around the residence halls.
The brawl prompted the university to hold a town hall during which students said they were upset by the campus police department’s response and not rendering aid to the students who were injured, reports MSN. One witness posted a video on TikTok, claiming that her classmate was “left to die” by the responding officers, reports EurWeb.com. Another student told the local NBC affiliate that he was “prepared to die” when he and his friends were attacked by the teens.
A Howard University lieutenant has been suspended for his response to the incident, and an investigation has been launched. Additionally, a contract security officer was let go by the school because he didn’t respond consistently to Howard University’s standards during the melee.
In response to the incident, the school plans on installing more than 1,000 security cameras across campus and stationing an armed officer in front of Howard Plaza Towers. Access control will be improved by installing card readers on certain buildings. Additionally, students will be provided with security devices that will enable them to call for help.
Howard University is similar to many other institutions of higher education in that it has an open layout where anyone can come onto campus.
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About the Author
Robin Hattersley, Editor-in-Chief
Robin has been covering the security and campus law enforcement industries since 1998 and is a specialist in school, university and hospital security, public safety and emergency management, as well as emerging technologies and systems integration. She joined CS in 2005 and has authored award-winning editorial on campus law enforcement and security funding, officer recruitment and retention, access control, IP video, network integration, event management, crime trends, the Clery Act, Title IX compliance, sexual assault, dating abuse, emergency communications, incident management software and more. Robin has been featured on national and local media outlets and was formerly associate editor for the trade publication Security Sales & Integration. She obtained her undergraduate degree in history from California State University, Long Beach.
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