The following message was released by Chief Paul Beard after fights at Freedom High School

On today’s date there were several physical fights at Freedom High School. Most of these fights involved minor female high school students. These fights were previously referenced today when we reported on the incident that was thought to have been shots being fired in close proximity to Freedom High School.

So far there is still no known correlation between the physical fights and the reported shots fired.

We have a School Resource Officer (SRO) dedicated to the Freedom High School campus to provide security and law enforcement services on campus, while at the same time getting to know the students. Our SRO dealt with a minor female student earlier in the day when she verbally, and intensely, challenged another female student to a fight. Our SRO stepped between the two females in order to prevent conflict and in an effort to de-escalate the situation. The aggressor female student then turned her aggression towards our SRO and at one point tried to maneuver around our SRO in order to go after the other female student she had been challenging. Our SRO prevented the female from charging the other female by grabbing her backpack in order to assert some control over her movements. The female student quickly slipped out of her backpack straps in an effort to go after the other female. Our SRO was able to walk her out of the immediate area by guiding her by holding onto her shoulders and walking with her. Our SRO was able to leave the female in the care of school staff and he returned to the quad area to check on the female who was being threatened and also to check the general demeanor of the student body population who were out of classes for a lunch break at the time.

While our SRO was assessing everything he noticed a large group of students fighting in the quad area and a large crowd was gathered around the fight. Our SRO pushed his way through the crowd and made his way to the fight. Our SRO discovered the original female aggressor he previously dealt with grabbing the hair of another female student while attempting to punch her. By this time there were several campus supervisors and school staff members intervening and breaking up the various fights. Our SRO grabbed onto the female, he originally dealt with, by her sweatshirt and right arm and forced her to the ground. The female aggressor maintained her grasp on the female she was fighting and continued to punch her even while our SRO held her to the ground. After a short period of time the female aggressor released the other female and our SRO picked the aggressor up and walked her out of the area while controlling her arms.

Our SRO is thoroughly documenting this incident via a crime report focusing on the charges of Penal Code 242 (battery) and Penal Code 148 (resisting/obstructing a law enforcement officer). Our criminal report will be routed to the juvenile probation department for recommendations on whether or not to file formal charges.

The Oakley Police Department is aware several students took video of these fights via their cell phones. Oakley Police Chief Beard stated

“I have seen two videos of the same incident. Both videos depict our SRO, who I am identifying as Officer Scott Griggs, taking a female student combatant to the ground in a very controlled fashion for the purpose of attempting to stop the attack of her upon another student. I am very comfortable with what I saw and it is clear to me Officer Griggs relied on his defensive tactics training to diffuse this situation as safely as possible, for all concerned, and minimized the risk of injury for the female he was dealing with. I am sure most members of the general public will be comfortable with what they see in the event these videos are shown publicly. I am not releasing the videos at this time because our investigation is still active. I am readily aware however, there will be plenty of opportunities for others to post the videos to social media outlets- I must ask however that people refrain from doing so in order to maintain the dignity of some of the students who appear to be victims of these fights. I am not aware of any injury being caused to the female, as a result of the actions of Officer Griggs, other than emotional distress.

I wish to make it clear the actions of the student body members, who chose to participate in todays fighting activities, are inexcusable and not tolerable. The jobs of the school staff and law enforcement are made that much harder because of actions like this and the student body as a whole is not served when things like this happen.”

Shots Fired Near Freedom High School Prompt School Lockdowns in Oakley

At 1:09 PM Thursday the Oakley Police Department responded to the area of Brown Road and Neroly Avenue in the City of Oakley for a report of two shots being fired, possibly from vehicles. Due to the close proximity to Freedom High School and Almond Grove Elementary School we called those respective schools and has them go into a lockdown until we could determine it was safe. — full story