2 teens arrested in brawl after game at NLR High
At least two teenagers were arrested in a melee involving hundreds of people after a basketball game at North Little Rock High School on Friday night, police reported Monday.
Over about 45 minutes, the brawl spread from the campus at 101 W. 22nd St. to the surrounding streets and led to an officer pepper-spraying a group of about 10 people. The North Little Rock School District reported the brawl led to six students being disciplined, though Superintendent Kelly Rodgers didn’t have further details.
Officers heard yelling as an estimated 1,500 people left the game against rival Little Rock Central about 9 p.m., according to a police report. Pushing and shoving in a group of several hundred people escalated into multiple fights. That crowd dispersed, but another group soon began fighting on the north side of campus, police said.
That’s where an officer arrested a combative teenager by taking him to the ground, the report states. The officer reported that someone then kicked the teen in the head.
Officers continued trying to break up the crowd and called for all units to respond to the school, according to the report.
“Smaller fights kept breaking out and would disperse as off icers approached. Then a very large crowd came back together and hundreds started running and shouting. A larger fight broke out amongst this crowd in the front lawn of the school in addition to the ongoing smaller fights,” Lt. John Breckon wrote in the report.
Police cordoned off West 22nd Street from Willow to Main streets as fighting continued. Some officers responded to fighting outside Shipley Do-Nuts at 2127 Main St.
Breckon reported that he tried to stop a fight on the steps outside the school and pepper-sprayed about 10 people when they ignored his commands. A teenage girl in the group was arrested and received medical treatment at the scene.
The arrested teens were each charged with disorderly conduct and released into the custody of their parents. It was unclear if they were students at either school.
Minor injuries, such as cuts and bruises, were reported in the melee.
Rodgers said a school district investigation of the incident was ongoing. He said there was additional security at the game Friday.
“Every time we’ve played Central, this seems to escalate,” he said. “To my knowledge, we haven’t had any other problems at any other basketball game this year.”
Little Rock School District spokesman Pamela Smith said that, according to Central High Principal Nancy Rousseau, none of the school’s students were involved in the clashes.
North Little Rock won the game, 86-55. The schools meet again Feb. 27 at Central High.
Smith declined to comment on whether there would be more security at the game because of Friday’s brawl.
“I think it would be inappropriate for me to comment on that since it didn’t have anything to do with our kids, as far as we know,” she said. “But we’re always aware of the need to maintain a safe and secure environment for our kids.”