NORTH MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Two girls were recorded by a cellphone camera fighting at a North Miami Beach high school, and officials said it all started over a seat.
The video posted on Snapchat showed the altercation inside a classroom at Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Senior High School, Tuesday morning.
In the video, a girl wearing pink can be seen taking the brunt of the punches. That student, 15-year-old Alejandra Mendez, shared her side of the story with 7News, Tuesday night.
“I stood up, and she threw my phone, and she started hitting me, with a little anger,” she said.
Mendez said she’s the victim in the fight over the seat. The student said this particular class does not have assigned seating.
“I was sitting in my chair, and she told me to move, and I refused to because it was my spot,” Mendez said.
The student threw multiple punches at Mendez. “All my classmates, they stared and laughed,” she said.
A spokesperson for Miami-Dade County Public Schools said a teacher was in the classroom when the fight occurred and tried to deescalate the situation. They said the teacher then called security.
“I was bleeding a lot from my nose,” said Mendez.
One student said he saw the whole incident. “Over a chair, yeah,” he said. “So she got mad and she decided to just fight her.”
Another student who witnessed the incident and did not want to speak on camera said she and her friends are afraid of the alleged aggressor.
The student was checked out by a nurse on school property, but soon after that, her mother called in fire rescue to check her daughter.
Mendez’s mother said she was disappointed in the school system after watching the video. She also said that fights like this have become common.
School officials described the fight as a “mutual combatant situation,” meaning both students played a part in causing the fight.
The school district released a statement Wednesday that read in part, “The actions exhibited in this video are unacceptable and troubling to watch. We are conducting a thorough review to examine the circumstances that led this this incident, the students’ behavior and the teacher’s response.”
“Since I took my hand and moved her hair and her hand so she could stop hitting me, they said I defended myself, and if I defend myself, I’m fighting back,” said Mendez.
The school system said the alleged aggressor, the girl in the dark shirt, has since been disciplined and the case is now in the hands of Miami-Dade Schools Police.
Officials are investigating why the incident ended without anyone stepping in.
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