Sept. 25, 2007 — A series of fights early Tuesday afternoon at Charlotte Amalie High School seems to be a result of ongoing turf wars between students, say Education Department officials.
Sources have also said the fights started as a result of students bringing guns to the school. But officers responding to the scene did not find any weapons, said Melvin Venzen, deputy chief of police for St. Thomas-St. John.
Another possible cause came from a news release issued by the Department of Education: The incidents are linked to a death of a student who was killed last school year in the vicinity of the Lockhart Gardens Shopping Plaza on St. Thomas, said acting Education Commissioner Lynn Spampinato.
The fights were widespread throughout the campus, Spampinato added.
"The series of fights took place simultaneously at various spots throughout the campus, including the gymnasium, where students actually locked the monitors and school personnel out while they fought," she said, according to the release. "The situation became too much for the five monitors assigned to the school and the police were called."
The campus was subsequently placed on lockdown, preventing students from leaving the classrooms, while administrators attempted to handle the problem.
A variety of officers went to the campus after receiving a call from one of the school's security guards, Venzen said. They came from several police divisions, including special operations and the criminal investigations bureaus, along with Safe Streets and U.S. marshals. About a dozen police cars could be seen at the school early Tuesday afternoon, blocking the gate and parking areas.
"One security guard told us that there were multiple fights going on and that the kids were out of control," Venzen explained. "So we sent several units out there. Most of the kids were outside the classrooms, and police had to disperse the crowds. In this case, pepper spray administered by police, instead of batons, was used."
One student was taken to Schneider Regional Medical Center for treatment after being sprayed, while another was taken to the hospital for a laceration to the head, he added. Police currently do not know who or what caused the student's head injury, Venzen said.
Police have not yet arrested anyone in connection with the fights, and will leave it up to CAHS administrators and Education Department officials to conduct their own internal investigation, police spokesperson Monyka Johnigan said Tuesday afternoon. Should police find that weapons were involved, they will take further action, she added.
Spampinato also said she will take a hard-line approach to dealing with the outbursts.
"I want to add that we are going to do what is necessary to rid our schools of these types of deviant behaviors," she said in the news release. "The students and others responsible for today's debacle will be dealt with seriously and within the confines of the laws that govern these situations."
Commending the VIPD for its quick response to the scene, Spampinato said Education would continue to work with police in investigating the incidents.
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