Shocking New Video Shows Brawl Inside Overlea High Cafeteria
OVERLEA, Md. (WJZ) -- There are more questions than answers about the violent scene in a Baltimore County high school cafeteria. WJZ has obtained shocking new cell phone video of the wild fight at Overlea as a number of students throw punches at each other.
Tracey Leong has the new video and more on what started the brawl.
Police are zeroing in on what happened at Overlea High School on Tuesday afternoon. At this point, they believe it was an isolated incident where students got out of control.
WJZ obtained cell phone video capturing the lunchtime chaos inside Overlea High School: students throwing punches, others screaming out in fear.
"I thought I was going to get hit. I was scared," one student said.
"Terrifying, like it was hitting quick, like anybody could have got popped," said another.
These students witnessed the violence that quickly escalated.
Corporal John Wachter with the Baltimore County Police Department says they've been contacting students and reviewing all possible leads.
"At this point, there's absolutely no indication whatsoever that there's any kind of gang relation to it," Cpl. Wachter said.
Police arrested seven students in connection to the brawl, ranging in age from 16 to 19 years old.
Police presence has since been beefed up, but some are questioning the way officers handled the fight, which resulted in three students being hospitalized for pepper spray.
"Pepper spray going everywhere from what I understand they had to use that to calm everybody down. I didn't like that," a mother of a student said.
"I don't think they should have maced everybody cause there was some people following instructions," one student said.
Police say it was protocol.
"All the tools that we have that was the proper escalation of how these officers should have handled that incident," said Cpl. Wachter.
The students who were arrested face charges ranging from disorderly conduct to second-degree assault. They could also be suspended.
Police are also investigating whether the brawl is connected to an outside fight that happened off campus.
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