By Angie DiMichele
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Chaos erupted during lunchtime at Lake Worth Community High School after a School Police officer used pepper spray to disperse a crowd of students during a fight.
About 12:30 p.m. Thursday, a total of 44 Palm Beach County Fire Rescue and private ambulances arrived at the school at 1701 Lake Worth Road after calls about the fight, Captain Tom Reyes, a fire rescue spokesperson, told reporters at the scene.
A total of 32 students and faculty, some who were hit with the pepper spray, were taken to four different local hospitals. Another 10 to 12 students were assessed but taken home by their parents, Reyes said. Most injuries were minor, but Reyes said he could not provide specifics.
More than 2,500 students attend the school.
Video shared with the Sun Sentinel showed two girls punching each other near a table in the cafeteria as a crowd of students gathered around, yelling or cheering. Many were recording the fight on their cellphones. One of the girls was knocked onto the floor, where the fight continued. An adult intervened about 40 seconds into the video, attempting to split up the two girls. The video then abruptly ended.
Another video shared with the Sun Sentinel shows a woman wearing a police or security uniform shaking an object in her hand and spraying something toward a cluster of students who then swarmed toward the cafeteria’s doors. Some could be seen ducking as the woman sprayed.
“They got his eyes!” the person recording the video said, zooming in on a person who appeared to be grabbing their face.
Coughing and screaming can be heard in the video as students shuffled around the cafeteria. Pepper spray causes painful symptoms including intense burning in the eyes, coughing and difficulty breathing.
Multiple parents complained on social media that all grades are attending the same hour-long lunch period. The school’s bell schedule shows one lunch period from 12:02 to 1:02 p.m.
Principal Elena Villani said in a message to parents shared with the Sun Sentinel that the students involved are facing discipline.
Students were dismissed normally shortly before 3 p.m.
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