Violent Attack, Pistol-Whipping Caught On Video At SI High School

STATEN ISLAND, NY — Two videotaped fights at a Staten Island high school, including one involving guns, have gone viral this week, which has prompted the Board of Education and the New York City Police Department to launch investigations into the incidents.

The most notable incident took place on Monday afternoon when video footage captured on cell phones, showed two males beating students outside of Susan E. Wagner High School. The Board of Education issued a statement Tuesday saying that it, along with NYPD, is working to identify the suspects who officials said are not affiliated with the school.

In the video, two students are beaten repeatedly as students can be seen on video capturing the fight with their phones and laughing. Both students who were beaten are held to the ground by the men, one of whom appeared to use a gun to pistol-whip a student. The other attack involved a male beating a student to the ground and then keeping him pinned to the ground with his foot.

The New York Post reported on Wednesday that one of the students was hit with a gun during the attack. The 16-year-old student was taken to a local hospital and was reported to be in stable condition after he was struck in the face and head with the gun, according to police.

“Ensuring our students can safely travel to and from school is the top priority of both the DOE and NYPD, and this deeply disturbing incident involving two individuals from outside the school community is unacceptable,” Board of Education spokesperson Nathaniel Styer said in a statement “We are working closely with the NYPD to identify the perpetrators and we are providing the victims with support.”

The Post reported that parents of students in the district are frustrated that there has not been more communication from the school about incidents. Video was also captured from a brawl that that broke out among students inside the school.

In the case of Monday’s incident, the Post reported that parents were not informed about the attack until Tuesday morning when a robocall was sent out. The call mentioned the presence of a gun, the newspaper said. The video went viral after a second video was posted showing a brawl inside the school as school security officers are unable to control students from getting involved in the fight.

The school was also placed on lockdown Tuesday when reports of a gun were reported outside of the school, according to the Post report. Three people were taken into custody in relation to the incident and a gun was reported, the paper said.

The Staten Island Advance reported Tuesday that police do not believe the two incidents are connected. The Tuesday incident reportedly happened around 3 p.m. a mile from the school, where shots were reported fired. The newspaper reported that two of the three people arrested are students at Susan Wagner High School.

An email sent to City Councilman Joe Borelli (R-Staten Island) on Wednesday seeking comment was not immediately returned to Patch. Borelli told the Post that the decision to cut school safety officer levels “has been a disaster from the get-go.”