City of Santa Rosa, CA, CivicReady Public Safety Alerts & Notifications
SRPD News Release: High School Student Arrested for Possession of a Knife on Campus Following a Fight with Another Student
High School Student Arrested for Possession of a Knife on Campus Following a Fight with Another Student
On Wednesday, May 22, 2024, at approximately 1:56 p.m., Santa Rosa Police Department officers were dispatched to Montgomery High School at 1250 Hahman Drive, to investigate a report of a lunchtime fight between two 15-year-old male students during which one of the involved students was suspected of brandishing a knife. When the investigating officer arrived, he was advised by a school employee no knife was involved and the school wished to handle the matter internally. Additionally, the officer learned the student suspected of brandishing a knife had left the campus approximately 20 minutes before the school called the police department to report the incident. Based on the information provided to the officer at the time, and the lack of evidence that a weapon was involved, the decision was made to allow the school to handle the incident administratively as requested.At approximately 6:00 p.m. the same day, the same officer returned to Montgomery High School to meet with school administrators, who had since uncovered video of the incident and now believed a knife was involved. The officer viewed the video and could see what appeared to be a folding knife in the suspect’s hands. The blade was not extended, nor did the officer see the blade extended at any point during the recording of the incident. The suspect punched the victim in the face at least one time while his fist was wrapped around the knife. Both students proceeded to punch each other several times for approximately 15 seconds before staff successfully separated the pair.
Due to the significant time delay, officers were unable to locate the suspect immediately. On May 23, 2024, at approximately 1:40 p.m., officers located the suspect at his residence in the 900 block of Grand Avenue.
The suspect was arrested and booked into Juvenile Hall for the following charges:
245(a)(1) PC – Felony assault with a deadly weapon
626.10(a)(1) PC – Misdemeanor possession of a weapon on school grounds
The knife used in this incident was not recovered.
Santa Rosa Police Department case number 24-6157.
Media inquiries can be made to Sgt. Patricia Seffens, Public Information Officer, at 707-543-3634 or pseffens@srcity.org.
