2 juveniles arrested following Costa Mesa High altercation allegedly involving weapon

Newport-Mesa Unified School District officials are working to ease concerns from some in the school community following the arrest of two minors in connection with an altercation at Costa Mesa High School in which one student reportedly displayed a weapon.

Costa Mesa police spokeswoman Roxi Fyad confirmed a male and female student were taken into custody Friday after the incident but would not release any further information due to the suspects being minors.

However, in a series of communications sent to parents on Friday and the days following, Costa Mesa High Principal Jake Haley indicated the altercation occurred during a school lunch period and was captured on video by someone at the scene.

“In the video, it appears as if one student presents a weapon. No weapons were discharged,” Haley wrote in an email Friday. “We gathered student statements and turned over all evidence to the Costa Mesa Police Department.”

Providing a summary of events, Haley said administrators immediately began assessing the incident and attempting to identify the individuals involved. The principal indicated that in such cases, officials’ top priorities are managing the initial threat to campus safety and communicating with staff, students and parents in a timely manner.

In a subsequent email, Haley said while the event appears to have been isolated, he was saddened by the number of students who appeared to witness the fight but said nothing. He wondered whether pandemic isolation or the continued rise of social media antics may have served to “numb” students.

“For some, the following of hurtful activity on social media platforms has shaped our world view [to the point where] it’s ‘funny’ to watch people get injured, pranked, or other hurtful behavior,” he surmised. “Now more than ever, it is important to have a partnership as a community to help teach healthy behaviors, the treatment of others and to simply Do Right.

“I know our school community will emerge stronger from Friday’s events,” Haley concluded. “We have great students, committed teachers/staff members and a wonderful parent community. This happened. We must learn and move forward to help become better tomorrow than we are today.”

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