Three arrested after fight at Knightdale High

Lyndon Earl Ore, 16, and Prentise Ja’vaughn Wilkins, 17, were each charged with simple affray and disorderly conduct after police said they started fighting just before 10:30 a.m.

Police said Darren Strawder, 18, was trying to jump into the fight and took a swing at an officer who was trying to detain him. He is charged with one count of assault on a government official.

“I attempted to take him into custody, and that’s when he started fighting. He actually swung on me, and I suffered a small injury from it,” Knightdale Police Chief Shawn Brown said.

Ore and Strawder were released Wednesday from the Wake County jail each on a $1,500 bond. Wilkins remained in jail under a $1,500 bond. All three will appear in court on Sept. 17 at 2 p.m.

About 40 officers descended on the school after a fight broke out in the cafeteria. Several other fights also started with the biggest one with three people involved. About 6 to 12 students were involved altogether, police said.

“It was like once one fight ends, the next would start,” said senior Kyana Parker.

Knightdale police contacted other agencies for help.

Because Knightdale High operates on a "smart lunch" program, the school's more-than-1,900 students were at lunch at the time. It was unclear exactly how many students were in the cafeteria though, because students can use other facilities at the school or leave campus during that period.

Authorities estimated hundreds of students were in the cafeteria and that, as more fights started, more students converged on the cafeteria.

School staff cut the lunch period short because of the fights, and some parents picked up their students early.

Wake County Public School System spokesman Greg Thomas said classes resumed by noon.