A juvenile involved in a Lincoln High School fight was charged with four felonies in juvenile court Wednesday as prosecutors revealed details about what happened during the incident that sent an officer and several students to the hospital.
A fight broke out between two male students at the school on Imperial Avenue during Friday's lunch break and ended up in a parking garage. No weapons were involved, according to San Diego Unified School District officials, and four students were involved total.
The 16-year-old student has been charged with four felonies, including resisting arrest and assault on a police officer. He pleaded not guilty. A second student may face legal repercussions in the future.
At a press conference following the hearing, prosecutor Minaz Bhayani shared details of what happened at the Friday incident, saying the altercation started when a group of students were "play fighting" outside the gym.
Somehow, the violence escalated to the point that a school officer used his Taser on a 16-year-old student and used pepper spray on several other students. It is unclear exactly how it escalated to this point.
When staff dispersed that gathering, Officer Bashir Abdi saw one minor had a bloody head, so he followed the student into the parking garage to render medical aid.
The prosecutor was asked why the officer followed the student who said he did not want help.
"The officer has a professional responsibility for the welfare of the students at school," Bhayani said. "So if you flipped that question and say, the officer just ignored the minor ad something traumatic happened to him, what would the focus be on the officer not rendering aid, so all he's doing is just doing his job."
Bhayani said although the inital contact between Officer Abdi and the juvenile was not hostile, the juvenile later became aggresive.
"The contact between officer and minor was not hostile at all; it was totally focused on trying to get medical assistance," Bhayani said.
He told reporters that when the pair got to the parking structure, that changed.
"When they arrived in the parking structure, the contact became hostile, because the minor became aggressive and actually hit the officer," Bhayani said. "The officer tried to restrain him and was unable to do that."
The minor then became more aggressive, according to Bhayani.
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"The minor increased his aggression toward the officer, punched him six or seven times; while he was being attacked from the front, another minor hit the officer from the back, knocking him down to the ground," Bhayani said. "The officer lost consciousness and suffered a concussion."
Officer Abdi was sent to the hospital with head injuries. He was released over the weekend, but when he returns, he will be placed on administrative duty, officials announced.
Bhayani revealed the officer is now in a wheelchair with pain to his neck, head and face and still has flashbacks about the incident. His right arm still has no sensation and he may have nerve damage. NBC 7 has reached out to Abdi, but we have not heard back from him.
Prior to the juvenile's hearing, Kim Moore, a spokeswoman for the family, released a statement from the family, reading in part, "I miss my son; I want him home; his is 16 years old; he is alone, sad and scared." The family said in the statement that education and safety are of the upmost importance.
"We are looking for a resolution to this matter that will be helpful to our child and his school, and one that will bring restoraion to both parties," the statement read.
The family declined to comment as they took their son home.
The minor could face eight years and eight months in prison, which would carry on into adulthood.
Friends and supporters lead a prayer circle for the 16-year-old ahead of the hearing, wishing him well.
"What I feel in my heart is this officer punched him," said Reverend Shane Harris, with the National Action Network. "This officer approached him and he was responding and other kids were responding to the way he was approached that's a concern to me."
Harris also expressed concern about making sure the four students involved in the altercation transition well back to the school. He claimed several of the students involved were being recruited to various colleges for their athletic abilities and GPAs.
Though surveillance video of the fight exists, District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis said Tuesday she could not yet release surveillance video which might answer an important question: what really happened.
In a letter to SDUSD Superintendent Cindy Marten, Dumanis gave this explanation for not releasing video of the incident at this time:
"The SDPD and the DA’s Office are working diligently to review all the evidence including video evidence to ensure that justice is done for all parties. You expressed your interest in releasing the surveillance video from the school to the public as quickly as possible. The surveillance video is one of the pieces of evidence in the criminal investigation of the incident. Since several minors are involved, the Juvenile Court would have jurisdiction for the case. The potential release of any video evidence is dependent on the type of charges and how juvenile law applies to those potential charges. There is a detention hearing scheduled before a Juvenile Court Judge on Wednesday, March 2 that will allow us to clarify some of the legal and privacy issues involved in the release of the surveillance video. For these reason, you may not release the surveillance video at this time. We will continue to promptly update you regarding the status of the video and all other relevant matters in this case."
