UPDATED: 7 Students in Overlea HS Fights Face Charges, Police Say

Seven students face charges and three were hospitalized after fights broke out Tuesday at Overlea High School around lunchtime, according to the Baltimore County Police Department.

Before noon on Tuesday, a school resource officer at Overlea High School alerted police that there were multiple fights going on in the cafeteria, according to the report.

Baltimore County Public Schools Assistant Superintendent Mark Bedell told WBAL that administrators were aware of threats made on social media and had been interviewing students about them Tuesday morning.

Even after additional officers arrived in the cafeteria, those involved in the violence continued fighting, one student told WJZ.

While trying to break up the fights, an officer used pepper spray, which sent three people to the hospital, police reported. Their injuries did not appear to be serious, according to WBAL.

Seven students from sophomores to seniors were taken into custody, ranging in age from 16 to 19 years old, police said.

All seven of the students will be charged, Cpl. John Wachter of the Baltimore County Police Department said. Charges will range from disorderly conduct to second-degree assault.

While the cause of the disruption is still under investigation, police said that preliminarily it appeared related to an ongoing dispute.

An off-campus dispute last week may have been connected, according to WJZ, which said that authorities were investigating whether that was gang-related.

There will be additional police presence on campus in the coming days, according to WBAL.

Previous report—Five people were in custody and three were taken to area hospitals Tuesday in connection with a cafeteria fight at Overlea High School, the Baltimore County Police Department reported.

At 11:53 a.m. on Tuesday, the school resource officer at Overlea High School reported that multiple fights had broken out in the school’s cafeteria, according to Fox 45.

Students were involved in the fights, which concluded by 1 p.m., Baltimore County Public Schools confirmed to WJZ.

The three students taken to hospitals were affected by pepper spray that had been used to stop the fight, according to the Baltimore County Police Department.

Screenshot of Overlea High School on Oct. 21, 2014, from WBAL.