Authorities: Fight Over Girl Sparked High School Melee

Durham, N.C. — An argument over a girl apparently started a melee outside Northern High School Monday morning in which one student was injured and several were arrested, authorities said Tuesday.

Hundreds of Northern High students were gathered on the school's football field Monday morning when several fights broke out among groups of students. The school had been evacuated because of a bomb threat.

One student was injured and had to be taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. Eight other students were charged with disorderly conduct.

On Tuesday morning, authorities also arrested Eric Wiggins, 17, at the school and charged him with assault inflicting serious injury.

Investigators said they believe Wiggins was one of the instigators of the melee, said Capt. John Flamion, of the Durham County Sheriff's Office.

Authorities are reviewing a videotape of the incident, and more arrests are expected, Flamion said. He declined to say how the tape was obtained.

The incident isn't believed to be gang-related, he said, because none of the suspects are "validated" gang members.

Additional security was posted Tuesday at Northern and at Riverside High School. At Riverside, deputies said they intervened to prevent a fight between two groups.

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Bartmansan, the answer is YES. Schools have numerous students with all kinds of convictions. Some of the larger schools up north now even have in-school probation officers. In NC Juvenile and Adult Probation Officers frequently have "clients" in most all high schools in the WRAL area. The drop-out age is now 16 so schools have to keep taking the juvys. NC wants to raise the drop-out age to 18 which will force schools to keep even more serious offenders. The ones with serious felony convictions can be sent to Alternative Schools but you would be shocked if you knew what was in our schools. I know of a student that is a CONVICTED 1st Degree Rapist that was allowed in school. Soon after enrollment he was arrested again and jailed. Armed Robbery, Rape, Burglary, Felony Drug charges, you name it, it's in our schools today.

thepeopleschamp
September 12, 2007 5:59 p.m.

Gang related. Send em to boot camp for a month.....

Sessy - Italiana
September 12, 2007 4:08 p.m.

"fighting at there age at school would result in suspension for the remainder of the year. Great, unsupervised hooligans, wandering the streets." I think the lack of supervision is probably the cause anyway...

hollylama
September 12, 2007 2:53 p.m.

Bartmansan...good question. I would speculate that we haven't seen pictures because they don't fit the "criteria"

hollylama
September 12, 2007 2:51 p.m.

Back in my day the PE teacher would give us a pair of boxing gloves turn us loose in the gym and the best man wins, then we shook hands and went about our classes, what kind of future leaders are our schools producing? Shurley not leaders of industry and our country if this be the case it will not be long that the USA will just be another third world country.

MrMan
September 12, 2007 2:30 p.m.