A football rivalry between two Montgomery County high schools ended in a brawl Friday night. Principals from both schools now work to identify the students involved–and they promise disciplinary action.
The fight took place after a game between Walter Johnson High School and Bethesda Chevy Chase High School, just outside the Bethesda Metro station.
While the cross-county rivalry between the two schools is nothing new, the fight was something else.
“I don’t think anyone would have anticipated how much this had escalated and the level of violence,” Montgomery County Councilmember Kate Stewart said.
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Stewart rode along with police officers as they responded to several calls for post-game dust-ups.
“We understand that when teams get together and play, there is good competition that happens, and we want to foster our community coming together,” Stewart said. “But we also need to draw a clear line at what is unacceptable behavior, and that is what happened on Friday evening.”
Videos circulating on social media show what happened outside the Metro station. Authorities have been made aware of those videos, and there is an open investigation.
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At least one Walter Johnson parent and student filed a police report, saying that the student was assaulted and had his shoes taken during the incident.
A joint letter from the principals of both schools went out on Saturday condemning the behavior, calling it “dangerous, illegal and completely inappropriate.”
The principals also pledged that appropriate disciplinary action will be taken in alignment with county schools student code of conduct, as students involved are identified.
“We need to be creating more and more spaces for young people to be able to gather safely,” Stewart said.
To that end, Stewart’s office and the county recreation department will be sponsoring a block party in downtown Silver Spring on Sept. 22, a half day for the county schools.
In the meantime, Stewart says: “We will work with the community, the schools and our police department to make sure, moving forward, when the students leave the campus that everyone can be safe.”
