Police charge teen w/ assault on school property

The Citizen staff

A 13-year-old girl is facing assault and child endangerment charges in the family court system in connection with an attack last week on Auburn school district property.

Auburn Police Department Chief Shawn Butler said the girl and her parents were served with an appearance ticket on Monday night and will be summoned to Cayuga County Family Court "in the near future." The unnamed juvenile defendant was charged with third-degree assault and endangering the welfare of a child, both misdemeanors.

The arrest stems from an incident caught on video by a bystander on Wednesday around 6 p.m. at Holland Stadium, which is behind Auburn Junior High School. In a video that was widely shared on social media on Saturday, one girl can be seen dragging another girl by the hair before forcing her to the ground in an area outside the stadium. She then repeatedly hits and kicks the girl, and stomps on her head.

The victim's father on Saturday said his daughter sustained a concussion and bruising, and was mentally distressed from the attack. He said none of the students in the vicinity intervened or got help, but an adult eventually spotted the victim and called 911. The father took his daughter to the hospital on the advice of emergency responders at the scene. Police interviewed her and the father, and took photos of her injuries that night in the hospital.

APD confirmed on Saturday that it was investigating the incident. Auburn Enlarged City School District Superintendent Jeff Pirozzolo sent a note on Saturday to parents telling them he had just learned about the incident because it happened during after-school hours and on summer break. He said the district was working with police on the investigation and added, "whether school is in session or not, violence on school property will not be tolerated, and those involved will be disciplined accordingly."

When reached for comment Tuesday morning about the school district's investigation, Pirozzolo said he cannot comment on specific disciplinary measures involving students, but said, "with any violent incident situation we will take appropriate measures."