8 Teens, 1 Adult Charged In HS Melee That Had Kid Tased, Cops Hurt: PD

BRANFORD, CT — Police have charged nine, eight juveniles and one adult, an 18-year-old student, in connection with a fight at Branford High School that evolved into a melee where teens were tased and cops were injured, police said.

Patch emailed school BHS Principal Lee Panagoulias for comment and should a reply be received, this post will be updated.

In a number of civilian videos viewed by Patch, a teen is seen being tased during scuffles with police in the nearby Dunkin' Donuts. Patch filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the Branford Police Department for the officer's bodyworn camera videos. The request was denied as those videos show juveniles, per Deputy Chief John Alves.

"We understand multiple videos of the incident are surfacing online regarding this incident. We remind the public that these videos do not show the full incident and do not depict the actions which led to the arrest of the individuals, and in some circumstances, the threats made to responding officers. Due to state statutes regarding release of records depicting juveniles, we cannot release body worn camera footage."

According to Branford police, it was around 2:30 p.m., Monday, school dismissal time, that a fight was reported in the parking lot of 207 East Main Street. When officers arrived, it was apparent that there was a planned fight as approximately 70 students were gathered in both the parking lot and inside the Dunkin' Donuts store" nearby, police said.

According to a statement that police posted to Facebook, as more officers were arriving at the school, they saw that there were "several active fights outside involving juvenile high school females." Police said cops separated kids from one another in one of the fights involving two females and then, "students began to flee the area."

Police said that as "officers were requesting students to disperse, several juveniles were refusing to leave and continued to cause disruption."

"Officers began escorting the large crowd outside the business and several juvenile males began challenging and fighting officers," police said on social media. "A struggle ensued in the vestibule area between two juveniles and officers." Police described the scene, video of which has been widely posted on social media: "During the altercation, an officer was pushed into the front window of the vestibule, smashing it, and glass flew everywhere. The juveniles continued to fight with officers, kicking and refusing to comply with officer’s attempts to secure him."

Branford police said that, "an officer deployed a taser to gain compliance, which was unsuccessful." The teen was eventually taken into custody and, per department policy, he was treated at a local hospital for the taser deployment and later released."

The videos being circulated on Facebook, TikTok and elsewhere depict a view of the incident inside the Dunkin' Donuts. Police caution that the videos online "do not show the full incident." And added that as "videos continue to surface, more arrests are pending."

According to the police description of events, while in police custody awaiting processing, "two juveniles continued to be aggressive, spitting at the cell cameras and caused damage to a holding cell bench." And, one of the juveniles was sent to a local hospital for a mental health evaluation, police wrote.

Some Branford police officers sustained injuries during this incident, per the department.

The following were issued Juvenile Summons' and released from police custody to a parent/guardian:

• Juvenile 1 was charged with second-degree breach of peace, assault on a police officer, and interfering with police.
• Juvenile 2 was charged with second-degree breach of peace.
• Juvenile 3 was charged with second-degree breach of peace and third-degree assault.
• Juvenile 4 was charged with second-degree breach of peace and interfering with police.
• Juvenile 5 was charged with second-degree breach of peace and interfering with police.
• Juvenile 6 was charged with second-degree threatening, second-degree breach of peace and interfering with police.
• Juvenile 7 was charged with first-degree criminal mischief, second-degree threatening, second-degree breach of peace and interfering with police.
• Juvenile 8 was charged with second-degree breach of peace.
• Adult student Jayde Gary, 18, of Branford was charged with second-degree breach of peace and third-degree assault.

In its statement on Facebook, police wrote: "The Branford Police Department does not condone violence or threats of violence, especially on or around school grounds. Police are working in conjunction with our partners at Branford Schools. We appreciate the cooperation with the Branford Schools and we would like to thank the staff of Dunkin Donuts for their cooperation during this incident."