Student, 18, Won’t Be Charged in Park Rumble

An 18-year-old senior at Los Angeles Lutheran High School in Burbank will not be charged for his role in a 40-student confrontation last week at a Burbank park, Burbank Police Detective Kevin Krafft said Monday.

Cedric Bailey, a star basketball player at the private high school, was arrested along with 12 other students from Lutheran and Burbank high schools last Wednesday after they were rounded up by police near Brace Canyon Park. The students had met during their lunch break to settle a dispute that began at a convenience store a week earlier, police said.

Krafft said the Burbank city attorney declined to press charges against Bailey “in the interest of justice.” Bailey was the only adult among the students arrested and Krafft said it is unlikely that the juveniles will be prosecuted.

“It didn’t seem proper to file against one of them just because he happened to be 18 years old,” Krafft said. “These are all good kids who are well thought of at their schools. This was an act that was totally out of character.”

Police confiscated a shotgun, a revolver and several clubs and baseball bats from students leaving the scene. No one was injured in the incident, but a shotgun blast shattered a car window, police said.

Bailey and 11 students from Lutheran were arrested on charges of conspiracy to commit assault with a deadly weapon. One Burbank High student was charged with possession of a loaded weapon.

Burbank Police Detective Richard Kowatch, who is handling the case involving the 12 juveniles, said that a final decision will be made by Wednesday on whether to file charges against the youths in juvenile court.