A 16-year-old male student at Ridgewood Community High School was charged earlier this month with domestic battery after he allegedly attacked his girlfriend, a fellow student, at the high school, according to Norridge police.
Police declined to release the name of the student because he is a juvenile. The boy was also charged with criminal damage to property for allegedly throwing the girl’s cellphone against a wall and breaking it, police said.
At about 9 a.m. Feb. 6, the female student told authorities she was in the high school’s field house taking part in a history fair, according to a police report. She told police she initiated a discussion with her boyfriend about their relationship and told him she wanted to break up.
The girl told authorities the 16-year-old boy became irate, grabbed both of her arms, forced her into a room, shoved her against a wall and yelled and swore at her. According to the girl’s account of the alleged incident, the male student squeezed her right arm and hit it with his closed fist. He took her cellphone from her and threw it against a wall shattering the device, the girl told police.
Staff at the high school came to the girl’s aid after she began yelling and screaming for help, police said. According to the report, the staff members told police they did not witness the physical altercation.
The girl suffered bruising to her upper right arm, according to the police report, but no other visual combative or defensive marks were observed by officers.
A surveillance video shows the male student gripping the girl’s upper right arm and leading her into a vestibule between the high school field house and library, the police report states. According to the report, the boy is seen forcefully pushing the girl against a wall and yelling and screaming at her. Surveillance footage also appears to show the girl trying to leave the area while the boy follows her and continues to yell and scream at the girl. Both students are out of range of the recording device for a total of 15 seconds, after which the boy is shown throwing the cellphone and preventing the girl from leaving the area, the police report states.
After officers reviewed the footage, the male student was arrested and later released to his legal guardian, according to police.
Norridge Police Cmdr. Wayne Schober said the student was charged with domestic battery because he was engaged in a romantic relationship with the girl at the time of the alleged incident.
Ridgewood Community High School District 234 Superintendent Jennifer Kelsall said she could not legally comment on the incident because it is a student discipline matter. She said the high school “provides a safe learning environment for all of our students.”
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Lee V. Gaines is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.