Senior Reporter
shane.superville@guardian.co.tt
Comments and banter between secondary school students via social media are believed to be behind an attack that left a 14-year-old boy unconscious on Wednesday afternoon.
The attack, which was recorded and posted to social media, showed a group of boys—believed to be from the Chaguanas South Secondary School—attacking another boy from an unknown secondary school.
Guardian Media visited the area yesterday and was told by workers nearby that the attack began after an altercation in the parking lot of a fast food outlet opposite a gas station, before eventually ending in the middle of the road itself.
During the attack, the boy was kicked in the head by one of the schoolboys, which knocked him unconscious.
A driver, who did not see the unconscious boy slumped in front of his car, tried to drive away and pressed against him as he lay crouched on the road, before passers-by, other students and a water vendor stopped the vehicle before it could drive further.
Sources said the boy was taken to the Chaguanas Health Facility, where he was treated and transferred to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope, where he received further treatment before eventually being discharged sometime between Wednesday night and yesterday.
In an official media release yesterday, the TTPS said Central Division police visited an unnamed secondary school yesterday, where they met with the principal and the school’s safety officer regarding the incident.
The TTPS said the three students involved in the attack were absent from class yesterday. However, their parents were contacted by school officials and the students were placed on “indefinite suspension, pending further enquiries.”
The police also reported that initial enquiries suggested the altercation arose due to “exchanges and banter” on social media among those involved.
The police also urged secondary school students and parents to encourage responsible use of social media while seeking peaceful conflict resolution.
When contacted for comment, Central Division head, Snr Supt Rudolph Bhagwandeen, reported that investigators had not yet interviewed the injured boy, as they were told by his mother that he was not at home.
He noted that while the incident was serious, it was a “one-off” disturbance.
“It’s not something that happens frequently because we have patrols in the area. We are investigating it and we have intensified the patrols around that particular school based on what came over social media yesterday.”
However, one resident who lives near the junction lamented that the area was known for heated confrontations and fights between students of nearby secondary schools for several weeks, acknowledging that while police patrols were frequent, heavy traffic made it impractical for officers to effectively intervene in a timely manner.
“Sometimes a fight going on and the police quite down the road because of traffic. Around here always has some kind of bacchanal with school children on an afternoon, that’s why I don’t like to pass here after a certain time,” the resident said.
“You have children asking people to pay for cigarettes for them down by the corner there, who smoking, who drinking, who hugging up and kissing and everybody passing here like it’s normal.”
The resident, who was not at home at the time of the incident, said he saw footage of the incident and was outraged by the attack and hoped those involved would be dealt with swiftly.
“Right now I find criminal charges should be brought into that. Even if the driver didn’t see the child on the road, that child could have died.
“Look how much of them were attacking one person and you kicking him in his head... if something were to happen to that child, what the parents going to say it’s not my son?”
The resident was also critical of adults in the area who witnessed the attack but did not intervene to separate the boys.
However, one man who works nearby and saw the incident unfold said while his initial instincts were to get involved, he chose to keep his distance for his own safety.
“I was seeing it happening and I wanted to do something but I know I can’t because now these youths and them... they going to school with all types of weapons.
“It’s either they have a gun on them, or they have a blade on them and you talk to them about doing the right thing and they find it’s a big disrespect, it’s either they cuss you, they watching you hard or they throw words for you.”
Guardian Media visited the Chaguanas South Secondary School and tried to speak with the principal to verify if the boys involved in the attack were in fact students of the school. However, a school safety officer said the principal was not prepared to entertain any questions.
In a media release yesterday, the Ministry of Education condemned the attack, noting that a response and interventions were underway into the incident.
“This includes collaboration with the TTPS, school supervisors and administrators, and all relevant stakeholders to ensure that the circumstances surrounding the incident are fully addressed and that the necessary support is provided to those affected.”
The ministry also reminded parents that they also had a responsibility in creating safe and supportive environments for children, as they encouraged schools, communities and families to work together to reinforce positive values.
Meanwhile, T&T Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) president Crystal Ashe raised concerns over the incident, noting that school authorities were within their right to do what they felt was necessary.
“Behaviours such as those displayed in the video cannot and must not be tolerated within our schools or society. Students must understand that violence, intimidation and brutality against others is wrong and carry serious consequences. The Ministry of Education has already introduced a revised school code of conduct which can assist principals and other relevant authorities in appropriately addressing matters of this nature.”
