Teen facing assault charges after incident at PoCo middle school
Credit to Author: Jennifer Saltman| Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2020 22:19:09 +0000
A 13-year-old Maple Ridge boy is accused of assault and uttering threats in connection with an incident that took place at a Port Coquitlam middle school.
On Jan. 10, around 3:15 p.m., police were called to Citadel Middle School, where there had apparently been what police called “a verbal confrontation” involving four boys and one girl.
According to police, the confrontation turned physical when the girl used “a low level of physical force,” and the teen boy allegedly responded using “an inappropriate level of force,” injuring the girl.
Police have recommended charges of assault causing bodily harm and uttering threats.
The teen, who does not have a history with police and cannot be identified because of his age, was released from custody and will appear in provincial court in Port Coquitlam at a later date.
The girl’s mother has posted on Facebook that the boys were making profane and lewd comments to her 14-year-old daughter, who was picking her sisters up from the school, and that one of the boys was in her face, so she pushed him away. She alleges that her daughter was then punched in the face and choked, and her face was cut and bloodied. The mother said one of the boys filmed the incident.
Coquitlam RCMP Cpl. Michael McLaughlin said in a news release that people have been making “snap judgments” about the incident on social media that contradict video evidence, witness statements and “established facts of this investigation.”
“It’s completely understandable that people are reacting emotionally to this file, especially since children are involved,” McLaughlin said. “But, it’s important that we conduct an impartial investigation. We ask that people do not make judgements based on social media posts.”
The investigation continues, and police say more charges are possible.