A male high school student has been arrested in Los Angeles County in California last Friday following the release of a video in social media, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department announced last Sunday. The video shows two boys fighting on campus. But this is no ordinary fight between boys.
The video clip shows a male student beating another male student, who has special needs, as other students watched and others filmed the incident last Thursday. The assault occurred in the grounds of West Ranch High School.
In the video clip, the two male students fight and roll around on the ground, the Los Angeles Times reported. The special needs student was put in a headlock and the two boys wrestled on the ground. When the special needs student attempted to fight back, he was punched by the other male student.
Student arrested in videotaped beating of "special education student" at West Ranch High School: LASD https://t.co/ifgBTUfqYr
— KTLA (@KTLA) April 24, 2016
High School Student Arrested On Battery Charges
According to the Los Angeles Times, Lt. Rob Hahnlein of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said that the arrested student who fought with the special needs student was arrested on the suspicion of battery. The arrested male student has not been named. Hahnlein said that he was unsure if the said student is still being held.
Meanwhile, he has been suspended from school. "He has been suspended, but beyond that, I can't comment," Dave Caldwell, a spokesman for the William S. Hart Union High School District said, per KTLA.
The male special needs student has also not been identified, either. His particular condition has not been disclosed to the public.
Other Students Tried To Intervene
According to KTLA, West Ranch High School Junior Skolnik and his friends tried to stop the fight when they saw the special needs student fight back. "I just go up to the kid and I'm just like, 'I don't want to fight, I just don't want you to fight him (the special education student),' because I knew he had like some issues," Skolnik said.
Support Floods In For Special Education Student
Students from West Ranch High School and other district schools reacted to the incident by posting support messages for the male special needs student using #justicefor(victim's name) and #standwith(victim's name), KTLA reported. Other students from the school even wore black the day after the fight to show unity with the special needs student, the Los Angeles Times said.
Skolnik said that after the incident, more people have been talking to the special needs student. "He went (from) this kid who no one really knew and now everyone knows who he is. Now he's got a bunch of friends and all this stuff, so that's good for him," Skolnik said.
The beating of the special needs student is still under investigation The Santa Clarita Valley Sherriff's Station, administrators of the West Ranch High School and the William S. Hart Union High School District are all working together to solve the case.
