by Noel Brennan & John Elizondo
WACO - Three juveniles have been arrested and charged with Riot Participation for their involvement in a brawl that broke out at University High School on September 14. The three were taken to the juvenile justice center.
Waco I.S.D. Police Chief Ken Boatman said seven more students could be facing similar charges.
Jonathan Sanchez, 17, and Jorge Falcon, 17, were booked in to the McLennan County Jail on September 26 and were also charged with Riot Involvement, a misdemeanor. They were released after posting $1,000 bond each.
Sanchez and Falcon were caught on school surveillance cameras fighting in the courtyard of University High, according to a Waco I.S.D. Police arrest affidavit. News Channel 25 cameras were there, too, and captured several police cars responding to the scene.
University High was placed on lockdown the afternoon of Sept. 14 for about an hour and 20 minutes. More than half of the Waco I.S.D. police force responded to the school, according to the affidavit.
The fight reportedly started in the cafeteria during lunchtime, and then spread outside. That's where a separate brawl began involving as many as 12 students.
"We have identified the juveniles involved in the altercation and are in the process of apprehending them and processing them through the juvenile court system," said Waco I.S.D. spokesman, Dale Caffey.
Following the fight, 22 students had to be seen or treated by the school nurse. However, Caffey said they suffered only minor injuries.
Although no one was seriously hurt in the brawl, Caffey admitted the incident was a black eye for the district.
"[It was] tough all the way around,"Caffey explained, "both in terms of the perception of University High School, and academically for the students because it took away from instructional time."
The students involved in the brawl were punished by the district as well. A number of them were sent to an alternative education program while others were given in-school suspensions.
By the end of this week, Caffey said an additional eight students would likely face criminal charges.
Waco I.S.D. Police said Thursday they were not prepared to release surveillance video of the fight.
