Four teens arrested after altercation at student-led protest near Olathe high school
Four teenagers have been taken into custody following a physical altercation at a student-led protest near an Olathe high school Friday.
Several officers with the Olathe Police Department responded to the area of College Boulevard and South Lone Elm Road, near Olathe Northwest High School, just after 2 p.m. on Feb. 20, following reports that a student-led protest escalated into a physical altercation, Sgt. John Moncayo, a spokesperson for the department, said in a press release Monday.
Initially, a 17-year-old male was taken into custody, Moncayo said in an updated press release Tuesday. Following a further investigation, an 18-year-old woman, 15-year-old male and an additional 17-year-old male were taken into custody.
The 15-year-old male and 17-year-old male were cited and released from police custody, Moncayo said. As of Tuesday, officers have contacted “all individuals involved in the physical disturbance.”
The department declined to name any individuals involved in the incident, adding that the department typically leaves identification up to the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office once official charges are filed.
In an email sent to families Sunday regarding the incident, Olathe Northwest High School Principal Chris Zuck said school administrators sent an email on Feb. 19 to students, families and staff regarding the student-organized walkout.
At the time, Zuck said administrators were unaware that “a small group of students had planned a separate student-led demonstration, which represented their voice and is also protected by their constitutional rights.”
The physical disturbance occurred between the two groups during the walkout on Feb. 20, Zuck said. The district’s “Safety Services team” and the Olathe Police Department worked together to resolve the incident.
In the email, Zuck said walkouts at the school are not sponsored, organized or endorsed by school staff.
“Let me be clear: while we value our students’ perspectives and recognize their constitutional right to participate in peaceful demonstrations, we do not tolerate violence,” Zuck said. “When behavior crosses that line, it becomes a disciplinary matter, and there will be serious consequences in accordance with the Code of Student Conduct.”
While he couldn’t share “specific consequences for individual students,” Zuck said that consequences would be as “serious as they are for any altercation that happens.”
At the end of the email, the principal alerted families to a social media post indicating a second student-led demonstration may be held Wednesday.
The incident is still under investigation, Moncayo said. Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to call the Olathe Police Department at 913-971-6363 or the anonymous TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477).
