Squad cars are lined up outside of Tech High School Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019. (Photo: Zach Dwyer, [email protected])
ST. CLOUD — Nineteen students involved in the Sept. 25 fight at Tech High School are facing criminal charges, according to a news release issued Thursday from St. Cloud Police Assistant Chief Jeff Oxton.
Stearns County Attorney’s Office charged five 17-year-olds, eight 16-year-olds, four 15-year-olds and two 14-year-olds; all but one of the students were boys.
A 16-year-old St. Cloud boy who displayed a pocket knife during the incident was charged with three felony counts. The other 18 students face felony or gross misdemeanor charges.
One male student sustained a broken nose in the fight; four of the students involved with the fight that led to the broke nose were charged with aiding and abetting third-degree assault, according to Oxton.
Felony charges include third-degree assault, aiding and abetting third-degree assault, second-degree riot, terroristic threats and possessing a dangerous weapon on school property.
Third-degree riot charges are gross misdemeanors, according to Oxton.
The students, their age and city of residence — as well as the names for those 16 or older who are charged with felonies — and their charges include:
Hussein Abdi Abdinasir, 16, St. Cloud — terroristic threats, possessing a dangerous weapon on school property, second-degree riotMohamud Afi Ibrahim, 17, St. Cloud — aiding and abetting third-degree assault, third-degree riotAbdisahal Ali Elmi, 17, St. Cloud — aiding and abetting third-degree assault, third-degree riotAbdishukri Khalif Dagane, 17, St. Cloud — aiding and abetting third-degree assault, third-degree riotMale, 15, St. Cloud — aiding and abetting third-degree assault, third-degree riotMale, 17, St. Cloud — third-degree riotMale, 17, St. Cloud — third-degree riotMale, 16, St. Cloud — third-degree riot Male, 16, St. Cloud — third-degree riotMale, 16, St. Cloud — third-degree riotMale, 16, St. Cloud — third-degree riot Male, 16, St. Cloud — third-degree riot Male, 16, St. Cloud — third-degree riot Male, 16, St. Cloud — third-degree riot Male, 15, St. Cloud — third-degree riotMale, 15, St. Cloud — third-degree riot Male, 15, St. Cloud — third-degree riotMale, 14, St. Cloud — third-degree riotFemale, 14, St. Cloud — third-degree riot
If a 16- or 17-year-old juvenile is charged with a felony-level offense in Minnesota, the records and court proceedings are public. The fifth student charged with a felony is 15 years old.
State statue defines riot charges as “when three or more persons assembled disturb the public peace by an intentional act or threat of unlawful force of violence to person or property.”
Second-degree riot charges, defined by state statute, also state the participant is “armed with a dangerous weapon” or knows any other participant is armed with a dangerous weapon.
MORE: Students involved in Tech fight could face criminal charges, expulsion
Squad cars are lined up outside of Tech High School Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019. (Photo: Zach Dwyer, [email protected])
All of the students will be summoned to appear before a judge on the charges.
St. Cloud school district announced Wednesday none of the students charged will return to the district this year and may face expulsion; the school board will consider students for expulsion at an upcoming meeting.
At the school board meeting Wednesday, Superintendent Willie Jett reiterated the students will face consequences.
“Let me be clear: Safety is our No. 1 priority,” he said.
“This incident does not define Tech High School or the school district,” Jett added, noting the majority of students show up every day ready to learn.
The Sept. 25 fight prompted a large police response and put Tech in lockdown; classes resumed as normal the following day with a police presence as a precautionary step.
According to a previous news release, the fight stemmed from two 16-year-old male students of the same race who had “an issue with each other from a previous altercation that occurred off school grounds.”
The two students started a fight in a hallway, each accompanied by numerous friends. The initial fight then led to “three additional or continuous fights” within a 10-minute period in different hallway locations.
During the fights, multiple members of Tech’s staff attempted to intervene; three staff members received minor injuries while trying to stop the altercations.
The first release issued by St. Cloud Police stated no weapons were involved “even though there are some rumors that one student may have had a knife.” Tuesday’s release stated during the investigation “it was learned that a picket knife had been displayed by one of the identified students during the fight” but no one was injured by the knife.