PUBLIC SAFETY

Violent video of school fight sparks conversation about staff intervention

Michael Anthony Adams

A video posted to YouTube Tuesday allegedly shows a male student pummeling a female student in the hallway at Northwest Community High School.

In the video, which appears to be shot on a cellphone, the boy approaches the girl in the middle of a hallway and the two exchange words in a short conversation. Then suddenly, the boy attacks the girl, throwing a punch that sends her flying back into a row of green lockers.

Other students who were in the hallway during the fight can be heard either giggling or gasping as the boy dragged the girl to the ground and continued thrashing at her face with his fist.

About halfway through the video, a NCHS staff member can be heard calling out down the hall for someone to call the cops. The staff member repeatedly screams for the boy to stop hitting the girl, but his onslaught continues.

It isn't until a few students step in and pry the two apart that the beating ends. The incident lasted less than a minute.

When the video surfaced, many commenters on social media questioned why the NCHS staff member didn't break up the fight.

"Northwest Community High School protocol calls for staff members to diffuse the situation verbally, then signal for support from administration and school police," a statement from an Indianapolis Public Schools spokesperson said. "School and district administrators are arranging appropriate disciplinary action, and IPS Police officers are collaborating with the prosecutor's office to determine any potential legal actions."

As of Tuesday evening, it was still unclear what led to the fight, or how old the two students involved were.

Call Star reporter Michael Anthony Adams at (317) 444-6123. Follow him on Twitter: @MichaelAdams317.