Teenage girl left with serious head injury after street fight near Missouri school
A street fight between teenagers near a school in Missouri has left one girl hospitalized with serious injuries.
The brawl broke out close to Hazelwood East High School in Spanish Lake, St Louis, on Friday afternoon.
Police were called to the intersection of Norgate and Claudine drives at around 2.30pm. Officers discovered one teenage girl suffering from a serious head injury.
The fight was captured on video and posted to social media where the clip has been viewed at least 14 million times in the past three days.
The video showed a fight between two girls with a large group surrounding them on the street. One girl is seen being pushed to the ground and her head hitting the concrete. Some then tried to break up the brawl but others began fighting.
St Louis County Police Department told The Independent that officers had arrested a 15-year-old girl on Saturday. She is being held by the St Louis County Family Court on assault charges.
The victim is currently in hospital in a critical condition, police said.
Neither girl has been named as both are minors.
In a statement posted on Facebook, the Hazelwood School District said it was a “tragedy” anytime that a child is hurt.
“Bullying and fighting in the community is an issue for which we all need to take ownership and work towards a resolution for the sake of our children,” the statement read. “The Hazelwood School District offers our sincerest condolences to everyone involved, and will offer additional emotional support from our support and crisis team to those in need.
“We look forward to continuing to partner with our community for the sake of our children. Please be kind and respectful of the families involved during this difficult time and pledge to help work toward the betterment of our entire community.”
St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell called the video “sickening” but said that his office did not have the power to act in the case.
“This is a Juvenile court matter, unless it is certified and by law, certification is not our decision either,” Mr Bell wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “We pray the victim makes a full recovery. This is just heartbreaking.”
Police have asked anyone with information related to the investigation to call 636-529-8210.