Fight between students at California school sparks controversy

A fight between two students at Jehue High School in the Rialto Unified School District was captured on video, sparking outrage, protests, and a police investigation. The incident, which occurred on Monday, March 10, has generated controversy over the actions of the authorities and the school's handling of the conflict.

The video, which quickly went viral on social media, shows a Latino student struggling with a smaller African-American student. The girl throws a laptop at him, and in retaliation, the student smashes her head against another table, leaving her immobile for a few seconds. Amid the chaos, screams from other students can be heard, some hurling racial slurs.

“She's unconscious, bro,” one of the students says as the attacker picks up his glasses from the floor and walks away, smiling—it's unclear whether he's nervous.

On Thursday, March 13, community leaders and civil rights activists held a press conference outside the school, demanding the arrest of the student attacker. The event coincided with the students' departure, who were met by a line of cameras and journalists.

Najee Ali, a social activist present at the conference, said, “What happened to her shouldn't happen to anyone. He should be expelled.” Samuel Casey, a pastor and community leader, called for the dismissal of the citations against the student, whom he called a victim.

The Colton Police Department reported that both students, 14 years old and in eighth grade, were arrested, cited, and later released. The student faces charges of assault with a deadly weapon—after hitting the boy with a water bottle—while the student was cited for misdemeanor assault. Both were suspended and could face expulsion.

Sergeant Mike Sandoval stated that there is no evidence that the fight was racially motivated, although several witnesses claim otherwise. The case remains under investigation and will be forwarded to the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office for review.

One of the most vocal criticisms was directed at the substitute teacher present during the fight, who, according to witnesses, did not intervene and instead called security.

Jehue Middle School, with an enrollment of 1,460 students, has a racial makeup of 91% Latino, 4.6% African American, and 1.9% white, according to official data from the California Department of Education.

The community remains divided over who the real victim is in this fight, and attention remains on the decisions that school and judicial authorities will make.