An argument between some Sierra High School girls turned into a physical fight Wednesday morning in the cafeteria, with other students joining in but no one severely injured, school and Colorado Springs police spokeswomen said.
The only weapons used were "fists and feet," said police Lt. Catherine Buckley. She said 21 students were detained and questioned at the Sand Creek substation, then released to their parents or guardians. No arrests had been made pending further investigation, including a review of the school's internal video, Buckley said.
"Students involved in the fight will be disciplined appropriately," said school spokeswoman Christine Lyle. "There will be consequences."
The fight started in the cafeteria, where up to 100 students might have been at the time, Lyle said. A lot of spectators joined in the melee, which moved outdoors and then back inside the school, she said.
"You have to give some credit to the staff and security at the school, as well as the (police) school resource officers, who reacted quickly," Buckley said. The school has two armed resource officers from the police department, plus two armed security officers from Harrison School District 2 and some unarmed campus security officers, Lyle said.
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The fight was reported at 10:50 a.m., and at least 10 police officers immediately headed to the school at 2250 Jet Wing Drive in southeast Colorado Springs, Buckley said.
"As they were breaking up that original disturbance, skirmishes broke out among groups of other students," she said.
"One big concern was that people saw tactical enforcement officers on scene. They were actually training close by. There weren't requests for additional officers. They did clear the scene and go back to their training," she said.
One student complained about a hurt lip, but no other injuries were reported, Buckley said. And all students involved were from Sierra High.
The fight was quelled quickly, Buckley said. But because of a city computer glitch, she said, she didn't have exact times or the numbers of officers and police cruisers responding.
At least a dozen police cars surrounded the school, she said, and medical crews came too. Several handcuffed students were seen being placed in police cars.
Parents said police would not let them onto the campus unless their children had been in the fight.
Sierra sophomore Vanessa Escobedo said she thought the fracas was gang-related, but Lyle and Buckley said there was no evidence of that.
"Everybody decided to get into it," Escobedo said after being released from school just before 1 p.m. "People just put themselves in situations like that."
Harrison School District issued an email alert about 1 p.m. that the disturbance had been ended, and students were to be dismissed at their regular times.
