Fremont High School brawl draws 30 police, use of pepper spray

Bottles and debris were thrown at officers trying to break up a number of fights that broke out Tuesday at Fremont High School in South Los Angeles. Police used pepper spray to restore order, and eight students were detained. One student sustained a minor injury and was taken to a hospital.

Fights broke out around 11:30 a.m. at the school in the 7600 block of San Pedro Street, according to Los Angeles School Police Department Sgt. Rudy Perez.

It was unclear what sparked the unrest.

According to Perez, while officers tried to break up a fight between two girls, bottles and debris were thrown at them and numerous other skirmishes broke out.

A bottle — Perez didn’t know if it was glass or plastic — struck an officer in the head, leading to an officer-needs-help call.

More than 30 officers, some of them from the Los Angeles Police Department, ultimately responded to the campus, Perez said.

Pepper spray was used in the course of detaining one of the students, all of whom were turned over to their parents or guardians, Perez said.

The injured officer was treated at the scene, as were a number of other students, Perez said.

None of those detained were arrested, and discipline would be addressed by school administration, according to Perez, who said there would be a visible police presence on the campus on Wednesday.