KENTWOOD, Mich. — A teen boy has been charged in connection to a fight at East Kentwood High School last week.
The Kent County Prosecutor’s Office says deputies have finished investigating the fight, which was caught on video Aug. 24.
The video shows a male student beating a female student. The fight included kicks to the face.
A group of parents gathered in front of the school after the fight, demanding accountability from administrators.
“The fact that this happened, and happened for so long without any intervention, is unacceptable,” parent Tara Jones-Williamson told FOX 17 at the protest.
Superintendent Kevin Polston sent out a note to parents later that day, explaining in vague terms what had led to the fight.
"Today at East Kentwood High School, two students were involved in an altercation where angry words quickly escalated into a physical altercation. A social media video captures the last reprehensible seconds of a longer altercation," Polston wrote.
"Prior to the escalation of the physical altercation, both students had an opportunity to not engage."
**Warning: Some viewers may find this video disturbing**
While the snippet going around social media lasts just 19 seconds, investigators were able to get their hands on more.
“I think just about every case that gets on social media, we always have like a 30-second, 20-second snippet of part of the incident, but we never have the full picture,” Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker said Tuesday.
"People form opinions; I mean, that's the thing, the rush to judgment ... 'Oh, I saw this; this tells the whole story based on what I saw here,' and there almost always is more to that story.”
The boy involved was charged with one count of assault and battery Tuesday. No one else is expected to face criminal charges.
“We've looked at everything. I can't see any other charges coming out of this incident; we've charged what we can,” Becker said Tuesday.
Because the young man involved is still a juvenile, his name will not be released.
FOX 17 reached out to the district Tuesday for any additional comment following the announcement of a charge, but because it is an ongoing criminal investigation, they had to defer to the prosecutor's office.
The district was also not able to comment on whether either student has since returned to school.
