A graduation ceremony in the Central Valley turned chaotic as graduates clashed, leading to multiple arrests among the attendees.
This incident occurred during a graduation event for the Kings Canyon Unified School District’s alternative education program at Reedley High School’s football stadium.
Cell phone footage captured the moment chaos erupted when graduates’ names were announced, showing two young men exchanging punches, soon joined by others. Another graduate tried to step in and break up the fight.
Shortly thereafter, yet another argument seemed to flare up. Video recorded a woman in a brown shirt throwing punches, escalating tensions further.
“The whole point of graduating high school is also about becoming a better person,” Luis Tapia, a resident of Palier, remarked. “They should have acted better. They ought to have known.”
Included among those arrested was 19-year-old Adam Velasquez. He shared with ABC7 that the incident wasn’t gang-related, emphasizing how hard he worked for his diploma, especially after the tragic loss of his brother years ago.
Velasquez, reportedly waiting to receive his diploma, confronted another graduate who allegedly made a remark about his deceased brother, leading to an emotional response.
The district released a statement asserting that the evening’s primary focus remained on celebrating the graduates. They praised the prompt safety measures and the swift actions of Reedley police and district staff, which helped resolve the situation and allowed the ceremony to proceed with minimal interruption.
This event comes on the heels of a harrowing shooting near a Bay Area high school, where an 18-year-old was killed and three others, including an 11-year-old child, were injured.
Authorities have described the shooting as a “massive incident,” occurring at Fairfield High School’s Schaefer Stadium shortly after a graduation ceremony. As of now, no arrests have been made, and police are actively searching for the shooter.
