A violent altercation at Martin Luther King High School in Riverside, California escalated into chaos Tuesday when family members of a student allegedly breached school security and launched a retaliatory attack, leaving another student hospitalized and two staff members assaulted.
The initial fight between two students during lunch break ended before one student allegedly summoned family members to the school. Riverside Police Department (RPD) officials said those relatives forced their way through the school’s front office and initiated a second fight targeting the opposing student.
“The family members barged in… and started another fight,” RPD spokesman Ryan Railsback said. Five adults and two students now face criminal charges, including trespassing, battery, and assault on school personnel. One student was booked into juvenile detention.
Students reported that the intruding adults aggressively assaulted the student involved in the earlier fight. A school administrator who tried to break up the attack was thrown to the ground and placed in a chokehold, according to witnesses.
Parents expressed serious concern over the security breach. “We don’t know if they’re armed. We don’t know who these people are,” parent Vanessa Brogdon told ABC7. She criticized the school’s failure to initiate a lockdown during the incident.
School administrators acknowledged security failures and promised improvements. “We are working with our district leadership to review and strengthen our safety procedures,” the school stated in a message to parents.
Riverside Unified School District is now increasing on-campus security for the remainder of the school year. The school, while known for high graduation rates, has reported declining academic performance in recent evaluations.
The incident has reignited broader concerns about campus security protocols in California schools, especially as the academic year draws to a close. Many parents are now demanding stricter enforcement of visitor policies, additional security personnel, and emergency response drills. With tensions running high, the school district faces mounting pressure to ensure that such breaches do not occur again—especially in light of recent statewide debates over school safety and discipline enforcement.
