Westlake fight ends in another broken jaw
For the second time in a month, a Westlake High School student has sustained a broken jaw during a fracas on the south Fulton campus.
Unlike the previous fight, when five underclassmen allegedly jumped a Westlake junior in a science lab, breaking his jaw and nose, school officials promptly called 911. In the Nov. 7 fight, the injured student waited at the school roughly two hours before his mother arrived to take him to the hospital.
"In hindsight, it would have been best to have an ambulance called immediately," Westlake Principal Grant Rivera told the AJC last month. "[The] administrator and the clinic assistant underestimated the degree of injury to the student."
This time, Westlake administrators "followed protocol and made sure things were done differently," Fulton schools spokeswoman Samantha Evans said.
The two students involved in Tuesday's fight were not identified. The alleged aggressor was charged with aggravated assault by school police, while both students were suspended 10 days for fighting, Evans said.
The five students, ages 14 and 16, charged with aggravated assault in the Nov. 7 brawl will be tried as adults, Fulton District Attorney Paul Howard recently announced.
About the Author
A native Atlantan, Boone joined the AJC staff in 2007. He quickly carved out a niche covering crime stories, assuming the public safety beat in 2014. He's covered some of the biggest trials this decade, from Hemy Neuman to Ross Harris to Chip Olsen, the latter of which was featured on Season 7 of the AJC's award-winning "Breakdown" podcast.
