HAWTHORNE, Calif. – Twenty-two Hawthorne High School students were cited or arrested Mar. 8 in an alleged gang-related, racially motivated brawl.
Eight to 10 Tongan and Latino students were initially involved in the fight that drew about 50 surrounding spectators. Sixty local police officers were called in to control the ruckus, deploying pepper spray and firing bean bag rounds into the crowd. Nineteen students were issued citations for unruly conduct and two for fighting. One student was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an officer after allegedly throwing a bottle at him.
School district officials say it took about 15 minutes for police to break up the brawl. Students were then sent back to class and later dismissed early for a campus shut down. School district officials and police report a student skirmish in nearby Eucalyptus Park may be related. Officials reported no serious injuries despite one student being spotted on a gurney in an ambulance and an officer injuring her hand.
