Student is hospitalized after fight

For the second time in two weeks a student has been hospitalized following an after-school fight.

About 5 p.m. Monday two West Jordan High School students, ages 16 and 17, agreed to meet at a park near 8000 South Redwood after exchanging words at school, said West Jordan Police Lt. Dan Gallagher.

Investigators did not know Tuesday which student threw the first punch, but the two ended up getting into a fist fight at the park. At one point one of the boys was struck in the side of the head and then hit his head on the pavement after falling.

When police and medical crews arrived, the two boys' friends who were present initially did not give investigators truthful information.

"They originally told us it was a skateboarding accident," Gallagher said.

Detectives eventually determined what really happened and flew the teen by medical helicopter to the University of Utah Medical Center, where he was listed in fair condition, Gallagher said.

"(The victim) was talking with officers at the scene. (The hit) did not knock him out," he said.

Gang detectives were investigating reports one of the boys involved in the fight belonged to a straight-edge group, Gallagher said. No one was arrested Monday, but Gallagher said both parties were being looked at for possible charges.

Monday's incident comes on the heels of another fight, this one involving junior high students, that has left one boy in a coma. Robbery charges have been filed in that confrontation. According to police, the 12-year-old boy now in the hospital and another Butler Middle School seventh-grade student allegedly tried to rob an eighth-grade boy with toy guns. A fight broke out after the robbery and, according to police, the 12-year-old was knocked unconscious by the eighth-grader who was defending himself.

Gallagher said aggressive behavior among juveniles appears on the increase and that typical after-school fights are becoming more dangerous.

"When you strike someone, it can cause serious injury," he said. "Kids need to be aware of that. It can have a lifetime effect on them."

Salt Lake County Sheriff's Lt. Robby Russo agreed that issues between students need to be resolved before they rise to the point of violence after school. But school administrators are not always available to be law enforcers in addition to their education duties, he said.

That's why Russo said he was considering putting a deputy in Butler Middle School full-time.

"Often the junior highs get left out of the mix. That's where you're going to have the fence sitters. They need to have some sort of positive influence from police," he said.

Whether it is issues such as drugs or violence, Russo said early intervention when possible is the best way to address some of those problems before they get out of hand.

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