Apache Jct. principal asked police to arrest four students

An educator ordering a student to take off a bandanna led to a viral video and the arrest of four teenagers earlier this month.

The police reports, released to

this week, provide additional details about what led to the Aug. 10 arrest of four Apache Junction High School students, including that the school’s principal asked police to arrest the teens.

But the reports also include descriptions from officers that do not appear to match the video of the incident.

The Apache Junction Police Department received a call at about 10:44 a.m. about “an incorrigible juvenile.”

An officer was told a student was refusing to follow the school’s policy on bandannas, according to a police report.

However, the school’s dress code does not mention bandannas. When

asked for clarification about the alleged violation last week, the district declined to comment.

In the report, an officer said someone pointed out the student and he saw that the blue bandanna was still around the student’s forehead.

“I asked the student why he would not listen to administration,” the officer wrote in the report. “His response was a question, ‘Why do I have to?’”

In the video, the student, who is black, can be heard telling the officer, “Why don’t you take me out now and save yourself the trouble, bro.”

During the interaction, which appeared to be outdoors but still in a busy area of campus, students were leaving lunch and going to class.

In the report, the officer said students started to gather around them, which made the student become “more animated.”

In one of the videos, the officer is seen loudly telling students, “It has nothing to do with the color of his skin. It’s not me harassing him. All he’s doing is wearing a bandanna, which you’re not allowed to do on campus, OK? Don’t wear a bandanna, that’s it.”

The report indicates the students started to yell, asking why the student would be arrested if bandannas are not against the law.

The officer claimed in the report that there were “approximately 200 students” surrounding him so he called for backup. However, the video shows a few dozen students milling near the interaction. Most students in the video appeared to cooperate and head to class when an administrator directed them.