Student Brawl at John Muir Injures 2

Horseplay between two students at John Muir High School at 1 p.m. today escalated to a physical altercation between the two that spiraled into five fights among about 15 students, school officials report.

All students at the school were ordered to their classrooms immediately and the school was placed on lockdown status by Pasadena Unified School District officials and the Pasadena Police Department.

Parents and guardians were notified via a reverse 9-1-1 system that students could be picked up at the south end of the school beginning at 2 p.m. The orderly departure of students was conducted one classroom at a time.

“The safety of our students is our number one priority,” said Edwin Diaz, PUSD superintendent of schools. “The police department reacted quickly to secure the campus and worked closely with campus officials as they supervised the release of students to their waiting families.”

“Today’s incident response is an example of the excellent partnership between the city of Pasadena and PUSD, as well as the relationship with the Pasadena Police Department and our partners in public safety,” said Chief of Police Phillip Sanchez. “This includes the Pasadena Fire Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the California Highway Patrol, all of which were involved in today’s response, from the active command post to the perimeter of the school.”

About 1,200 students were on campus today. Two were transported to a local hospital for medical attention.