7 Howard High students charged, JV football suspended after alleged bullying caught on camera
Seven members of the Howard High School junior varsity football team are facing juvenile assault charges following an incident captured on video last week in the school's locker room.
The incident prompted the school to suspend its entire JV football program while the alleged assault is investigated, according to a statement sent to families by Howard High School.
The program was paused "pending an investigation of a recent situation involving some team members," the statement said. "As the matter is under investigation and involves minor children, we are limited in the details we can provide and are not able to share specifics."
The Howard County Public School System confirmed the Sept. 25 incident was reported to police and that seven students, ages 14 to 16, were charged with second-degree assault.
Video of the incident obtained by CBS News Baltimore shows one student being picked up, carried and dragged by other boys inside the locker room. At one point, other students appear to chant, "Throw him in, throw him in."
A family member told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren that the victim is a member of the team and was hospitalized following the incident.
Police have not provided a detailed account of what happened, and charging documents are not publicly available. However, the videos provide a glimpse into what happened inside the locker room.
What the videos show
Two videos obtained by WJZ Investigates show parts of the Sept. 25 incident inside the Howard High School locker room in Ellicott City.
In one video, several students can be heard chanting, "Toilet! Toilet! Toilet!" as teammates pick up the victim.
The victim's family told WJZ Investigates that he was being forced toward a toilet in the locker room.
A 30-second video clip shows the student being picked up and flipped over.
At one point, the victim grabs onto a locker door, appearing to try to stop himself from being taken into the toilet area.
A second, 57-second video shows the victim again trying to get away while two teammates appear to restrain him and other students record the incident.
"Why are y'all so [expletive] intense?" someone can be heard saying in the video.
"I never thought I would have seen this," another teammate says.
The video shows the victim on the floor before cutting off as he gets back up.
What action did police take?
Police told WJZ Investigates seven juveniles ages 14 to 16 face second-degree assault charges because of the incident.
They have been referred to the Department of Juvenile Services. You can read more about the juvenile justice process here.
All of those charged are junior varsity football team members.
"The investigation is ongoing," police added in their statement. They declined an on-camera interview request.
Fellow student reacts
A fellow student who has friends on the JV football team spoke with WJZ but asked that his identity be concealed.
He said the incident has become a major topic of conversation on campus.
"Absolutely. Everybody's talking about it. People from other schools are talking about it. Other schools in the county are talking about it," the student said. "I don't know anybody on the team that would actually beat on him so bad that he would have to get hospitalized."
The student said he believes some of the players seen holding the victim in the videos should be held accountable.
"Especially the person who carried him. Suspend him? Yeah. But the entire team? Some people weren't even involved in it. Some people might have just been changing their clothes while it was happening. I think for the entire team to face consequences for the actions of some, I don't think it's fair," he said.
How is the school handling the incident?
WJZ also obtained a letter school administrators sent to parents.
"…Effective immediately, the Howard High School JV Football program is suspended pending an investigation of a recent situation involving some team members," the letter states. "As the matter is under investigation and involves minor children, we are limited in the details we can provide and are not able to share specifics. We will, however, share updates when available, including the status of the JV football program and any other public details."
A family member of the victim said he is continuing to recover from what happened.
That relative declined an interview Wednesday but did provide the videos that show the incident.
Howard High football impact
Howard High School is located in Ellicott City, Maryland. The schedule for the school's varsity team will not be affected by the JV suspension. The suspension will also not affect any scheduled girls flag football games.
The JV football team is currently 1-4 in this season's standings. The last JV game was on September 28 against Hammond High School, with Howard High losing the contest 0-2. The JV team's next game was scheduled against Long Reach High School on October 5 at 6 p.m.
Howard High's next varsity football game is scheduled to take place on October 2 against Long Reach High School at 6 p.m.