CARLSBAD — Police and school officials are investigating a physical altercation between juveniles at Poinsettia Park after a video of the incident circulated widely on social media.
The Carlsbad Police Department and Carlsbad Unified School District said they became aware of the incident and began reviewing the circumstances with school officials and the families of the juveniles involved.
Cellphone video of the encounter appears to show several juveniles surrounding a girl on an electric bicycle in the park. In the footage, two individuals appear to block the girl from leaving, and one says, “This feels really … racist right now. We’re all ganging up on a Black girl.”
Another kid can be heard saying, “Just slap her.” After several minutes, the girl on the e-bike tries to leave, and the situation escalates into a physical altercation before the video ends.
While it’s not immediately clear when the incident occurred, police said a report has been taken, and detectives are working with school officials and the juveniles’ parents as part of an ongoing investigation.
In a social media post, an individual claiming to be a parent of two of the minor individuals depicted in the video said the incident occurred “several weeks ago” and that the matter had been resolved, with all parties involved making “amends.”
Authorities said they take accusations of bullying, harassment and discriminatory language seriously, including incidents that could potentially be considered hate crimes.
Because those involved are juveniles, officials said additional details cannot be released due to privacy laws.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 619-235-8477.
