Montgomery County police charged five male Damascus High School students with second-degree rape or attempted second-degree rape that allegedly took place in the boys locker room after school Wednesday, police said.
Detectives with the Special Victims Investigation Division identified four juvenile male victims who are also students at the school, police said.
In a letter to parents, Damascus High School Principal Casey Crouse said the allegations involve the junior varsity football team.
Students told News4 the victims and the suspects all are members of the junior varsity football team.
"When you say 'Damascus' you think football," Damascus senior Paul Moore said. "You know, little town, little school, and something like this happened here, it's just very sad."
Three juvenile suspects were taken into custody Thursday night. Each is charged with two counts of second-degree rape and two counts of attempted second-degree rape.
Police announced late Friday night that two more juvenile suspects were charged. One has been charged with three counts of second-degree rape and the other has been charged with one count of attempted second-degree rape.
They are both students at Damascus High School, police said.
The school forfeited its junior varsity football game against Sherwood High School Thursday night in response to the allegations.
"Any student who is found to have hazed another student will be disciplined in accordance with the MCPS Student Code of Conduct and may also face legal consequences," Crouse said in the letter to parents.
"Something happened so close to home, it's a very small school, everybody kinds of knows everybody," Moore said. "So it's very shocking to find out that something like that has happened."
