Two students are facing criminal charges after a fight broke out in the cafeteria at Lake Worth Community High School on Thursday afternoon, resulting in a school officer using pepper spray to disperse an unruly crowd.
About 12:30 p.m. Thursday, a total of 44 Palm Beach County Fire Rescue and private ambulances arrived at the school at 1701 Lake Worth Road after calls about the fight, Captain Tom Reyes, a fire rescue spokesperson, told reporters at the scene.
Principal Elena Villani said in an updated message to families on Friday that two students began fighting and a third “began acting inappropriately.”
“As staff was attempting to address the initial fight, other students created a larger disruption by engaging in disorderly conduct such as shoving and throwing objects,” the principal’s message said. “I want to be clear that this behavior is unacceptable, and I am deeply disappointed in the choices these students made.”
The school police officer then used the pepper spray to break up the crowd, and some students who were in the immediate area were “impacted by the spray,” the message said.
Video shared with the South Florida Sun Sentinel showed two girls punching each other near a table in the cafeteria as a crowd of students gathered around, yelling or cheering. One of the girls was knocked onto the floor, where the fight continued. An adult intervened about 40 seconds into the video, attempting to split up the two. That video then abruptly ended.
Another video shared with the Sun Sentinel shows a woman wearing a police or security uniform shaking an object in her hand and spraying something toward a cluster of people who then swarmed toward the cafeteria’s doors. Some could be seen ducking as the woman sprayed.
Coughing and screaming could be heard in the video as students shuffled around the cafeteria. Pepper spray causes painful symptoms including intense burning in the eyes, coughing and difficulty breathing.
A total of 32 students and faculty were taken to four different local hospitals. Another 10 to 12 students were assessed but taken home by their parents, Reyes said on Thursday.
Villani said on Friday there were no serious injuries, and most who went to the hospital were treated because of the pepper spray.
The principal’s message did not specify what charges the two students are facing. A school district spokesperson did not immediately respond to an email seeking information on the charges.
“Two of the students who began the altercation are now facing serious consequences, including criminal charges,” the message said. “In addition, all three students involved will not be returning to Lake Worth High School and will be disciplined according to the Student Code of Conduct.”
Administrators are reviewing videos and “other evidence” to find any other students who may have violated the conduct code, Villani’s message said.
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