Posted on: Saturday, February 5, 2005

Violence quelled at Waipahu High

By David Waite
Advertiser Staff Writer

Police kept a watchful eye on Waipahu High School yesterday to try to prevent a repeat of an incident Thursday that led to one police officer being assaulted and five students being arrested.

There were no reports of problems at the school yesterday, police said. Waipahu's principal could not be reached for comment.

Police said the vice principal called about 1:30 p.m. Thursday to say that an argument had occurred earlier and that 15 to 20 students had walked off or were about to walk off the campus to confront and possibly assault one of the boys who was involved in the argument.

Officers began arriving at the school almost immediately and their numbers increased as the 2 p.m bell, which signals the end of the school day, approached.

Just after the final bell rang, a large number of students left the school grounds and gathered in a triangular area in front of the school, bounded by Farrington Highway and Waipi'o Point Access Road, in what police believed was a prelude to a fight between two groups of students.

Police said they asked the students several times to disperse and go home, but they refused and a scuffle broke out as one of the officers was arresting a student for disorderly conduct. The officer was kicked and punched from behind but could not identify individuals responsible.

At that point, a district-wide police response was ordered and about 25 officers were in place by about 2:20 p.m. trying to keep the situation from getting out of hand, according to a police synopsis of the incident.

Five students were arrested, two of them 15 years old, two of them 16 and one who was 17. The five were arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct and were released to their parents. The students and their parents will be required to report to counseling sessions presented by members of the Police Department's Juvenile Services Division.

The police officer who was punched and kicked was not seriously injured and returned to work yesterday.

Meanwhile, Wai'anae High School was locked down yesterday afternoon after an altercation between three students grew to involve several more.

The trouble began at 1 p.m., and the students were quickly separated, a Department of Education spokesperson said. The school remained locked down until classes were dismissed at 2:45 p.m.

Police were called to the school, but no arrests were made and no serious injuries were reported.

Staff writers Curtis Lum and Johnny Brannon contributed to this report.