A mother disputes an assault charge against her son after a Carroll High School arrest. CCISD police say force was used to prevent further injury during a melee.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Parents are continuing to raise concerns over the use of force by school police following an altercation at Carroll High School that led to two student arrests and the use of pepper spray.
The incident unfolded earlier this week when CCISD police attempted to arrest a student they say was leading a group toward another student to assault them. Police Chief Kirby Warnke said the student was asked multiple times to leave campus but refused.
That student’s family — identified as the Cruz family — alleged in a previous interview that their child was injured by an officer during a one-on-one interrogation following the arrest.
When asked about that allegation Wednesday, Warnke said he had not previously been made aware of the claim.
“When you brought it up to me, that’s the first I’ve heard of it,” Warnke said. “I haven’t heard any allegations to the same. It’s contrary to our operations and the way we do business. But I’ll look into it.”
In a separate but related arrest, police say another student — seen in video wearing a purple hoodie — intervened during the initial arrest and was charged with assault on a public servant, a third-degree felony.
That student’s mother, who asked not to be identified, disputes police accounts and says she learned about the incident through family members rather than school administrators.
“My mother-in-law called me asking if I had seen the videos of my son being attacked by three adults,” she said. “I immediately got terrified because I hadn’t gotten a call from the school.”
She said administrators were evasive when she arrived on campus and that it took hours before she was informed her son had been taken to the Nueces County Juvenile Detention Center, where he was held overnight.
“I didn’t know if he had eaten. I was scared he was hurt,” she said. “I couldn’t sleep all night. We wanted our son home.”
The family cites a lack of transparency and what they describe as excessive force and says they are considering legal action.
Warnke said the situation could have been avoided if students had followed instructions from campus administrators.
“This is a sad event,” he said. “If the student involved would have simply followed instructions and left as directed, it probably wouldn’t have devolved to this.”
CCISD police say the incident remains under investigation and that the department will review any complaints submitted by parents.