Posted on 11/18/2009 9:40:24 AM PST by Main Street
Police in Hazelwood are told they'll have to get a subpoena to obtain surveillance video of a school bus beating that occurred Friday afternoon.
The bus was taking students home from Hazelwood West High School when a 14 year old boy allegedly punched a 15 year old girl in the head, repeatedly. The girl's mother tells me that the bus driver stopped the bus and told the boy to get off. A friend called the girl's mother and told her what was happening. Mom met the bus at a stop near her home, then called police.
The girl was swollen and sore, but did not need hospitalization.
The 14 year old boy is suspended from school, pending a disciplinary hearing. Police took him into custody Monday and he has since been released back to his parents. Police have filed an offense report which will be processed through the juvenile court system.
There is surveillance video of the attack, but police were told detectives would have to obtain a subpoena to get it. The department says that in the past, the school would allow police to view the videos in a timely manner to determine if a crime was committed. In this case, the district told officers they would need a subpoena.
The school district says it is following new federal guidelines that say prosecutors and police must have a court order to obtain school bus surveillance video. The district says that it could lose federal funding if it doesn't comply.
Read about the Family Policy Compliance Office, which enforces the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act: www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/index.html
Hazelwood police say the department is in the process of trying to get a subpoena.
Earlier this school year, a beating on a school bus in Belleville, Illinois made national headlines after surveillance video was obtained by police and then released to the media. The video stirred up heated debate over whether the attack was racially motivated and whether the bus driver did enough to stop the violence.
Gee, I’m at a loss as to why they don’t want this released.....
/SARC
And the race of the participants here?
Im sure there was no hate crime here - the press just wants to protect the innocent boy who committed this act of violence - sarcasm off
“And the race of the participants here?”
####
Let’s put it this way:
IF it was white on black, we’d already know.
Loudly.
What do you want to be this is all about cowardly Eric Holder's "conversation on race?"
See video here:
It’s a damn public school. I sense that race pimp Holder might be behind this.
Another video from FOX: http://www.fox2now.com/news/ktvi-hazelwood-west-school-bus-beating-111709,0,2406630.story
Hazelwood West Boy Allegedly Beats Girl On School Bus
By Chris Regnier FOX2now.com
November 17, 2009
FLORISSANT, MO (KTVI - FOX2now.com) - It is being called a full on attack. A boy at Hazelwood West High School allegedly beats a girl on board a school bus. The entire incident is caught on surveillance video. The family is calling for the school district to release that video, but they have decided they will not do so.
“It was the most horrible thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” said Crystal Gwaltney reacting after she saw the surveillance video of the school bus attack.
Investigators say a 14 year old Hazelwood West High freshman boy beat Crystal’s 15 year old daughter, Tanya, last Friday on the school bus ride home after school. Tanya is a sophomore at Hazelwood West.
“In the video, he takes off his jacket, he takes off his ID and puts it in his pocket and he stands there with his fists clenched waiting for the right moment. And he attacked her from behind. I don’t mean he hit her once or twice, he hit her probably 30 or 40 times,” explained Crystal. She added, “She had visible swelling and redness to her cheek, her ear, she had lumps all over her head, large lumps.”
Crystal wants the surveillance video released to the public. But the Hazelwood School District is refusing. School district spokesperson Diana Gulotta says the boy has been suspended for at least two weeks and could be expelled. But she says releasing the video could violate the privacy rights of all of the students on the bus. Gulotta says that in the wake of now infamous Belleville bus attack, school districts are becoming much more cautious about releasing bus surveillance video.
“Because the tape can be considered an educational record, we have to be very careful about releasing that information improperly or inappropriately,” explained Gulotta.
That is little comfort to Crystal.
She says, “I want everybody in this school district and the surrounding school districts to see what’s going on in these schools.”
Crystal says words were exchanged between her daughter and the boy before the attack started.
Hazelwood Police arrested the boy at school on Monday then released him to his parents. Police have asked for the surveillance video but the district won’t even give it to them without a subpoena. Investigators are now trying to get that subpoena.
The case has been handed over to juvenile authorities.
Read all 61 comments »
Track down the head of the school district, ask politely for the tape. Qhen he mumbles ‘no’, arrest his azz for obstruction and interferance. When he asks for a lawyer, give him eric holder’s number.
If the police have evidence of a crime, then they should get a suponea with no trouble. Why the drama?
The bravery of the boy attacking a girl...from behind..........I’ll bet he is a Muslim.......they are all brave.
The truth: They don’t what whitey watching Blacks beating up white kids on the bus. There is a pattern now in this area.
That’s what I was thinking. Shouldn’t be that hard to get it in a day or so.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.