Students at an SC high school started a fight. Then 2 resource officers were assaulted

Two Richland County school resource officers were sent to a hospital after they were assaulted while trying to break up a fight at Lower Richland High School.

According to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, a 16-year-old student attempted rob another student and a fight ensued. They were found fighting outside of the cafeteria during lunchtime on Friday around noon, and the two deputies intervened.

The 16-year-old struck one deputy in the face and, while resisting being detained, caused the other deputy to dislocate his shoulder.

The teen was subdued with a taser, arrested and charged with armed robbery and two counts of assault of a police officer while resisting arrest. He is being held at Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center in the juvenile wing.

“This will not be tolerated,” Sheriff Leon Lott said in a statement. “Our SROs are in school to protect the students, teachers and staff. This is not what school is about. We will hold those accountable who assault other students and our SROs.”

As of Friday evening, one of the injured deputies had been released from the hospital and one was still being treated, officials said.

The high school was placed on lockdown during the incident, according to Richland 1. As a precaution, the school was on a “hold” status at about 3 p.m., which means students had to stay where they were at the time of the incident.

The Richland County Sheriff’s Department is still investigating the incident.

Lower Richland High School received 167 calls for service during the 2023 fall semester, the most of any county high school, according to information from the sheriff’s department. The number reflects calls for all incidents, not just assaults. The high school with the second most calls was Richland Northeast, with 71.

This story was originally published March 1, 2024 at 3:19 PM.

Alexa Jurado

The State

Alexa Jurado is a news reporter for The State covering Lexington County and Richland County schools. She previously wrote about the University of South Carolina and contributes to this coverage. A Chicago suburbs native, Alexa graduated from Marquette University and previously wrote for publications in Illinois and Wisconsin. Her work has been recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists, the Milwaukee Press Club and the South Carolina Press Association.