The fight allegedly broke out after a parent walked onto a high school campus in Tucson, Arizona to confront his son’s bullies.
Video of the Tucson High School fight shows an adult assaulting teens.
At least 30 students, not including the parent, got involved in the fight that occurred during a lunch break on Tuesday before being placed under lockdown for several hours afterward. — Piercen Sturdavant (@Pasty_P_) May 3, 2022 The parent reportedly heard that his son who has special needs was going to “get jumped” outside of school. 40-year-old Willie Smith, who was released from police custody, had received multiple reports that his son was going to be attacked outside of the school. RELATED: 7 Things Parents Need To Know About Caring For A Child With Special Needs Smith had been called to the school in order to pick up his children since they had been involved in an incident the day prior. However, when he was asked to leave through the back exit by school officials, he refused, exiting through the campus courtyard, where those same officials warned him that a confrontation could take place. Court records show that Smith told campus staff, “If it’s going down, it’s going down here.” As the family was leaving, words were exchanged between them and the bullies, prompting the fight that broke out and the chaos that ensued. Videos that were posted all over social media show the man in a red shirt and jeans fighting off several high school students at once while many joined in the chaos. RELATED: Parents Indicted On Murder Charges After Disabled Daughter Was Found Fused Into Couch For 12 Years At one point, the man can be seen laying on top of a teenager and choking him while either a security guard or a teacher tries to get him to relent. After the police arrived, both Smith and the 15-year-old boy were arrested with charges. However, police reported that there were no weapons brought to campus and no injuries were suffered by either party.
The father claims he was trying to protect his son.
After being read his rights, Smith admitted that he had started fighting with the teen because that student was assaulting his son, court records say. He claims that he didn’t feel it was right that the school had asked them to leave through the back gate, and that he was acting in self-defense. According to KOLD News13, the school addressed the situation in a statement on Tuesday. “The school is currently in a safety protocol due to an incident on campus,” it read. “Tucson Police Department and TUSD School Safety immediately responded and will remain on campus for the remainder of the day to ensure there are no additional issues.” “All students and staff are safe and the campus should return to its regular class schedule within the hour,” they announced. Smith’s sister, Rosalinda Martinez, spoke to DailyMail about the altercation that her brother had gotten into. “The judge had seen all the videos and understood the circumstances and told him they could have done things differently and avoid it all,” Martinez said. “I’m sure the kids are going to need some kind of counseling. That was too much trauma. One of my nephews had a concussion.” Smith was charged with felony disruption of an educational institution, while the 15-year-old is facing charges for disorderly conduct and fighting. RELATED: Florida Woman ‘Smiled’ As She Allegedly Threw Ex-Boyfriend’s Dog From 7th Floor Balcony Before Arrest Isaac Serna-Diez is a writer who focuses on entertainment and news, social justice, and politics. Follow him on Twitter here.
