Churchill students charged with assault

Fight at school leads to efforts to curb gang violence

Thursday, Jan. 4, 2007

Five Winston Churchill High School students were charged with assault and disturbing school activities after a fight at the Potomac school on Wednesday that also prompted school officials to take measures to stop gang violence on campus.

A 16-year-old and 14-year-old boy, both from Potomac, and a 15-year-old boy from Silver Spring were charged as juveniles with one count each of second-degree assault and disturbing school activities. In addition, a 16-year-old boy from Potomac was charged with one count of disturbing school activities and another 16-year-old boy from Potomac was charged with two counts of second-degree assault, according to Montgomery County Police.

All of the teens, who are not being named because they are juveniles, were released into the custody of their parents.

The four Potomac teenagers are members of the Street Gang 54 MOB, a gang that has been involved in graffiti, drug possession and truancy according to police.

The Silver Spring boy is not affiliated with a gang, police said.

According to police, the fight began shortly before 11:25 a.m. on Wednesday inside the school, located at 11300 Gainsborough Road. Six male students gathered near the school store started a verbal argument stemming from previous disagreements. The conflict then escalated to a physical fight when one of the boys suggested they take it outside.

The school went on code blue as school security officers attempted to separate the boys who were kicking and yelling at each other, police said.

Police officers arrived at approximately 11:25 a.m. to find the students being separated by security guards outside in front of the school.

One of the 16-year-old students and a 52-year-old security guard were treated at the school for scratches and bruises, police said.

But Wednesday’s fight was not the first incident of violence among the students involved.

Police said the same students were involved in a fight at the school on Nov. 10, 2006. After that incident, the students participated in mediation with parents, school staff and police officers, according to police. The students agreed to try to mend the animosity between them, police said. But another fight broke out outside the school in December. Wednesday’s fight was in retaliation to the December incident, police said.

Although the conflicts were between two groups of students — one of which is affiliated with a gang — police are not classifying the fights as gang-related because they are based on personal disagreements between the students, rather than gang-initiated action, police said.

Still, Churchill principal Joan Benz is enacting new rules aimed at curbing gang violence. She sent a letter home with students on Thursday explaining the incident and the new measures.

According to an e-mail obtained by The Gazette, ‘‘Because gang members use ‘visual cues’ to identify themselves for affiliation and intimidation purposes, effective on Monday, January 8, 2007, Churchill students will not be allowed to wear hats except those directly related to a specific culture or religion. No bandanas, do-rags, skull caps or hoods are to be worn over the head. No bandanas, flags, banners, pieces of fabric, are allowed to be attached to the student or to his⁄her belongings. Notebooks or books, containing or upon which graffiti appears, will be confiscated.”

According to the e-mail, Benz will announce the new rules to students on Monday.