Four arrested as police investigate Simi Valley fight involving juveniles, racial slurs

Four juveniles were arrested as the Simi Valley Police Department is investigating an alleged assault that took place outside of a movie theater Friday night.

In a news release, the department said officers responded to reports of an assault at 2751 Tapo Canyon Road, the Civic Center Plaza, at about 11 p.m.

The victim of the alleged assault was no longer at the scene; however, at around 12:45 p.m., the department received a call from him and his mother, and officers responded to their home.

The SVPD did not release additional details on the alleged assault, but said videos of the incident have proliferated online and will be included in the criminal investigation.

Several racial slurs were said during the incident, SVPD confirmed.

In an updated news release on Sunday evening, investigators revealed additional details on the incident. 

"Based on the investigation to this point, it has been determined that two groups of teenagers were at the Regal Plaza," the SVPD release said. "The two groups have had prior altercations and one of the groups approached the other.  At some point, the groups engaged in a physical altercation involving multiple subjects, for which the police department was called."

Investigators said that one of the teenagers suffered a minor injury to his mouth but didn't consider himself a victim of a crime. They said that another of the teenagers, "who was associated with the first victim's group," was the one who contacted police and did claim to be a victim.

The next day, police said the first victim contacted them and said he did in fact consider himself a victim of a crime.

Between the two victims, police said they suffered a possible concussion, a chipped tooth and minor cuts and abrasions.

On Sunday night, SVPD investigators said that four suspects, all juveniles, were identified for their involvement in the altercation and arrested for battery.

The department also said one of the juveniles believed to be involved is a relative of an SVPD officer. That officer will not be involved in the investigation, the department said.

"That relationship has no bearing on this investigation," the news release reads. "A thorough and unbiased investigation will be conducted."

No additional details were immediately made available.