Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Three teens accused of seeking fight at North Las Vegas high school

Three teenagers were arrested at Legacy High School in North Las Vegas on Thursday morning after coming on campus allegedly with a gun and the intention of starting a fight, school district police said.

Clark County School District Police spokesman Lt. Bryan Zink said the three teens — one 18 years old and the other two 16, none of them Legacy students — had come to the school at about 11 a.m. to confront a student. It appeared that at least some members of the group were able to enter the school building, Zink said.

On-campus police intervened “after a brief confrontation,” he said.

Legacy Principal Belinda Marentic confirmed the incident in a note to parents.

“Today three individuals, not associated with Legacy High School, were arrested upon initiating an altercation on campus,” she wrote. “CCSD Police who were already on campus and school employees quickly de-escalated the situation.”

Zink said further investigation showed the group’s car, driven by one of the 16-year-olds and parked in the school lot, allegedly had been reported stolen out of North Las Vegas. Police found a loaded 9mm handgun under the front passenger seat, he said.

Zink said the three were arrested on the following charges:

The 18-year-old for trespassing and participating in a fight, both misdemeanors.

One 16-year-old for battery of a police officer, possession of a stolen vehicle, minor in possession of a firearm, possession of a dangerous weapon on school property, burglary, disturbance of a school and participating in a fight. Zink said the officer was not injured in the altercation.

The second 16-year-old, on the same charges as the other minor, except for the stolen vehicle and battery counts.

Zink said one of the 16-year-olds is a CCSD student but declined to name the boy’s school.

The incident came one day after a string of alleged student-on-teacher assaults and on the same day that CCSD put out a statement to employees and parents saying that the district is taking steps to increase campus security, but “the exact details will not be disclosed except to those who need to know.”

The district statement cited a state law allowing schools to keep their safety measures confidential.

“While we would like to disclose exact security details so that our parents, students, and staff members feel more assured, doing so would allow those who intend to cause harm an advantage,” the statement reads. “As staff is trained on security measures, remember the importance of not sharing the details publicly for the security reasons outlined above as they are outlined in state law and must not be shared.”

Brawls, beatings and lockdowns caught on social media video with students as apparent perpetrators against other students and staff took a hard turn earlier this month with the assault of a teacher at Eldorado High School. A 16-year-old student has been charged with 15 felonies, including sexual assault and attempted murder, in that case.

A Sun analysis of CCSD Police data shows violence in the school district has been rising over the last several years.

Data show that CCSD Police took 6,827 calls for violent incidents for the current school year through February, compared to 5,639 calls through February of the 19-20 school year and 4,607 through February of the 2018-19 school year.