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At least 3 arrested after Q.C. school brawl
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Brian Heath, the program director for Canyon State Academy, 20061 E. Rittenhouse Road, is disputing reports from the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office that 11 students were arrested.
Heath said that the incident was "highly exaggerated" in a sheriff's office press release. Only four students were arrested, and the school is dealing with the other seven involved in the incident, Heath said.
The Tribune was able to confirm the arrests of three adults through court paperwork.
Kenneth Garner, Jamal Hamilton and Lamonte Perry, all 18, were booked on low-level felony counts of interference with an educational institution, aggravated assault and disorderly conduct.
Court paperwork listed a fourth suspect as Rashad Hough.
According to the documents, which were used by the judge to set bail, seven unnamed juveniles were booked into juvenile detention in Mesa.
Officials with Maricopa County Superior Court, which oversees juvenile detention, were unable on Friday to confirm whether they were booked on Wednesday.
Court documents state that the brawl began at 6:30 a.m. when two staff members were addressing Garner. Heath said the staff was trying to remove a student to out-of-school detention for disciplinary issues and he disagreed with the decision.
Perry, who was jogging by during organized morning exercises, stopped and tried to intervene.
Tracy Watkins, a staff member, told Perry to keep moving, but Perry mouthed off, according to the court document.
That's when a group of students rushed the staff and started swinging.
A press release from the sheriff's office said that dozens of students and staff members were engaged in hand-to-hand combat in classrooms and hallways and outside, with some students using broomsticks as weapons.
Heath said that only one of the students was using a broomstick as a weapon.
Staff member Wesley Alford told detectives he was trying to restrain Garner when he was struck by Hough in the head and struck by Hamilton in the jaw three or four times.
Another staff member reported seeing Hough kick staff members from behind as they tried to restrain students.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio said deputies are often called to the school for fights, assaults and vandalism, but never to the extent of Wednesday's call.
The school is privately owned and sits on 173 acres. It was known as Arizona Boys Ranch until 2000.
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