Altamonte police arrest student in fight at Lake Brantley High School

Fight remains under investigation, more arrests possible

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. – Altamonte Springs police arrested a student in a fight at Lake Brantley High School.

Christopher Jefferson, 18, was arrested on charges of disorderly conduct, affray and resisting an officer without violence. His bond was set at $500.

Police said the fight involved 12 students and happened after third period Thursday morning. It's not known what prompted the fight.

Darlene Spooner said she was at the school and talking to administrators about bullying concerns when the brawl started.

"You could see all the kids running.  They were pulling kids off," said Spooner.

Spooner said her oldest son was involved in the fight and his brother and sister responded to cries for help.

"My daughter was knocked down and it just went on from there," said Spooner.

Altamonte Springs police said all of the students involved were not in school on Friday, and more charges are likely to be filed in the fight.

Several students posted video of the fight online. Parents who News 6 spoke to said posting it on social media makes it so much worse.

"They feel like it makes them popular. People laugh at them. People give them attention, whether it's positive or negative attention," one parent said.

At one point in the video, a student is seen slamming another onto the concrete. The fight escalated so quickly that school resource officers had to call in Altamonte Springs police for backup.

"I think the children have no respect of authority anymore," said a parent.

"I think people need to talk more and discuss things before resorting to violence," parent Tina Martof said. "There's no need for that kind of behavior."

After the fight, Lake Brantley's principal sent a message to parents:

"We had a fight involving multiple students who had previous issues with each other. This was not a random incident. We will not tolerate this kind of disruptive behavior. We will make sure that we discipline the students in order to maintain a safe campus."

The school district said all of the students involved in the fight will be disciplined according to the student code of conduct.  Punishment could include suspension and possibly expulsion.

Stay with News 6 and ClickOrlando.com for updates on this story.


Recommended Videos