Sandy MaloneSan Antonio, TX – Violent chaos erupted between parents and police in front of Jefferson High School in San Antonio on Monday after false reports of a schools shooting forced officials to lock down the campus.
Jefferson High School was put into lockdown after the district received a call threatening a “school shooting” while officers investigated and cleared the buildings, WOAI reported.
“We received an anonymous call through SAPD at about 12:59 P.M. or 1:03 P.M.,” San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD) Police Chief Johnny Reyes explained later at a press conference.
Officials asked parents not to go to try to remove their children from the school while it was in lockdown, but the recent catastrophe at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde caused many parents to disregard the instructions and rush to campus, MySanAntonio.com reported.
Videos posted to social media showed parents fighting with officers who were trying to keep them from entering the school building to retrieve their students.
Families rushed Jefferson High School and clashed with officers as their students were in lockdown inside. Again there was NO shooting and NO weapon found, per SAISD police. Students are now calmly walking out and chaos has stopped. @ksatnews pic.twitter.com/zkRCGr7rvW
— KSAT Courtney Friedman (@cfriedmanTV) September 20, 2022
My youngest daughter sent me this. She is a senior at Jefferson High School in San Antonio. Pretty intense stuff. That guy seemed like he was severely injured when the police tossed him to the ground. What happened is that there was allegedly a person with a gun on campus. https://t.co/lT1Kg0Kqev
— Mateo Vincente Negrovalores (@whocalledtheco1) September 20, 2022
One of the men involved in the brawl with police had to be transported to the hospital with an injury after he broke a window of the building with a foot-long knife, WOAI reported.
Police said he cut his wrist badly trying to break into the high school.
WARNING: VERY GRAPHIC VIDEO AND STRONG LANGUAGE
Parent punches and breaks window, cuts his wrist or hand before brawl breaks out on campus of Jefferson high. Madness ensues.
Kids have now been released pic.twitter.com/HtGA5JajrE
— Matt Roy (@MattRoy_TV) September 20, 2022
Law enforcement has been severely criticized for its handling of the Uvalde elementary school shooting on May 24 that left 19 children and two teachers dead.
But on Sept. 19, 29 SAISD police officers and 58 San Antonio police officers were on the scene trying to clear buildings and keep students and staff safe when hundreds of hysterical parents began swarming them, KENS reported.
“We put together several strike teams that then entered the campus and did a sweep room by room,” Chief Reyes said.
Jefferson High School lockdown…two teenagers fighting in hallway one threatened another with weapon…no more information for parents… pic.twitter.com/1yskuwLlFj
— Gonzales Cass (@GonzalesCass1) September 20, 2022
BREAKING: All-clear issued at Jefferson High School. Parents are free to pick up their children. No threat found. pic.twitter.com/lN3DIsy9lm
— Jim Lefko (@jimlefko) September 20, 2022
SAISD Superintendent Jaime Aquino said that law enforcement handled the situation perfectly despite the violent chaos brought by the panicked parents, WOAI reported.
“Our kids were safe,” Aquino said. “We followed our protocol and our process. And we practiced for this, so I am proud that we were able to do that. I know we are living in very difficult times. But you need to trust us.”
Holly Matkin
