Fight At Westerville South, Arbor Day Plantings, and Bookstore Independence
Fight at Westerville South High School Leads to Multiple Offenses
An altercation on Tuesday at Westerville South High School (WSHS) involving students and non-students led to a police response, and three males who were not Westerville students were removed from the building. A BB gun was found in a bookbag during the investigation.
Investigators reviewed security footage after the incident, showing several students leaving the school through an athletic wing door shortly after 10 a.m. They met individuals outside the building and later re-entered with those individuals through a secured door opened by a WSHS student.
Over the next 30 minutes, the group roamed the hallways. At approximately 10:49 a.m., a fight began in a stairwell near the Science Wing. Several males joined the fight, which spread briefly through nearby corridors. Teachers intervened to break up the fight, and one of the participants was restrained by staff.
Officer K. Jackson, among the first on the scene, took custody of the restrained juvenile and attempted to escort him to the main office. During the escort, the juvenile resisted, pulled away, and initiated another altercation. Officers regained control after the individual leapt behind a secretary’s desk in the main office and was subdued. The juvenile refused to provide his name or respond to offers of medical attention. Two other males were taken into custody by police.
The investigation determined that the three males involved were not WSHS students and were eventually identified as brothers. One of the males said they came to he school to make a video of themselves sneaking into it. Their mother was contacted and advised that her sons would face criminal charges. Jackson interviewed WSHS students involved in the incident before they were released to their parents.
A Glock replica BB gun was taken from the book bag of an unidentified person who denied he knew it was there, telling officers it had been taken by one of the three non-students.
As of Friday, when the report was released, no one had been charged with a crime. All the students involved were released to their parents.
Editor’s Note: This information comes from a 12-page Westerville Police Case Report, with names, addresses, social security numbers, driver’s license numbers, and telephone numbers redacted. Uncharged suspects are also redacted. None of the students or the three males are identified.
Editor’s Note: Officer K. Jackson is the primary reporting officer not J Tolenese as reported. There was an error in transcription by The Westerville News.
Timeline of Events – April 22, 2025
10:19 a.m.
Several individuals exit WSHS through a door in the athletic wing.
10:22 a.m.
The same individuals run west across the practice fields toward the bike path.
One of them is carrying the bookbag, later found to contain the BB gun.
10:26 a.m.
The group meets up with three non-student males near the practice fields.
They begin walking back toward the school building.
10:28 a.m.
WSHS student opens Door #12, allowing the group to reenter the building.
10:29 a.m.
The group walks through the hallway between the commons and the auxiliary gym.
They attempt to enter the gym but turn around after discovering a job fair in the gym.
10:30 a.m. – 10:49 a.m.
The group roams through various hallways inside WSHS.
10:49 a.m.
A physical fight breaks out near the Science Wing stairwell.
Several individuals join the fight.
Staff members intervene and break up the altercation.
A teacher restrains one of the individuals involved.
10:51 a.m.
The fighting continues into a classroom near rooms 1106 and 1102.
10:53 a.m.
Officer Jackson takes custody of the restrained juvenile and attempts to escort him to the main office.
While being escorted, the juvenile attempts to pull away, leading to another physical struggle.
10:54 a.m.
Officer Jackson regains control and continues escorting the individual to the main office.
The juvenile remains argumentative but follows directions.
10:55 a.m.
As they enter the main office, the juvenile pulls away again, runs behind the secretary's desk, and leaps over it.
Officers subdue the juvenile and place him in handcuffs.
Around 11:00 a.m. and afterward:
Officers begin interviewing detained individuals.
A search of unattended bags is conducted throughout the school.
A backpack containing a BB gun that resembles a real firearm is discovered by Sgt. Winters.
11:19 a.m.
Officers continue to separate and supervise involved students and non-students in the administrative office areas.
Around 12:15 p.m.
A teacher reports seeing individuals in a beige SUV near Door #20 trying to re-enter the school.
Officers check the area but do not find the vehicle.
After 12:15 p.m. until Dismissal:
Officers remain stationed inside and outside the building to provide security through the end of the school day.
Offenses Listed
The police report contains the following offenses. As of Friday, no one has been charged with any offenses.
Criminal trespassing (Non-students entering the school without authorization)
Disorderly conduct (Fighting on school property)
Resisting arrest (Attempting to flee from officers and physically resisting efforts to restrain)
Possession of a weapon or look-alike weapon on school property (BB gun resembling a real firearm)
Failure to identify (Refusal to provide name and identifying information to officers)
Inducing panic (Presence of a realistic-looking firearm inside a school building could cause fear)
Obstructing official business (Actions that delayed or complicated the officers' investigation and handling of the fight)
These offenses were either directly charged or indicated in the officers' narratives as behaviors leading to criminal charges.
Arbor Day Volunteers
Friends of Alum Creek and Tributaries (F.A.C.T.) and volunteers from Vertiv planted nearly 400 native trees at Boyer Nature Preserve. F.A.C.T. has removed large areas of invasive honeysuckle, allowing native plants to thrive on the forest floor. The newly planted small-rooted trees were placed among the fallen trunks of older trees, as well as the remnants of ash trees that were cut down several years ago.
Vertiv is a Westerville-based company that provides critical infrastructure and services for data centers, communication networks, and commercial and industrial environments.
Independence Day
Birdie Books is celebrating Independent Bookstore Day on Saturday, April 26, 2025, with extended hours from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Festivities include a prize-filled spinning wheel, new Birdie Books merchandise, and food from the Seven Little Sliders food truck from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The store is on the Central Ohio Indie Bookstore Crawl, where visitors can pick up a passport, collect stamps at participating stores, and become eligible to win swag bags after visiting at least seven of the fourteen locations.
The Uptown Art Hop will also take place from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
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