Police pepper spray students to break up fight

Three Florida middle school students were taken to a hospital after police used pepper spray to break up a fight, authorities said.

Three other students at Howell Watkins Middle School in Palm Beach Gardens were taken into custody following the

Wednesday afternoon incident, the Palm Beach County School District said.

This was at least the second time school district police have used the nontoxic spray to break up fights this year. In March, they used it to break up an altercation at Royal Palm Beach High School, the Palm Beach Post reported.

The spray irritates the eyes and even can cause temporary blindness.

Watkins Principal Presley Charles said in a statement to parents that school police responded to an incident in which several students became aggressive with each other.

The pepper spray was used to disperse the students invoved as other students came to see what was happeneing, he said.

No further explanation of the incident was offered.

Charles told parents that the three students were treated at a hospital and the three believed to have been involved in the altercation face possible discipline under the Student Code of Conduct.