Tension high in Ambridge

By Larissa Theodore and Bill Vidonic, Times Staff





Times photo by CHRISTINA BAIRD
Ambridge High School students illustrate how they say a police officer grabbed a student during an incident Tuesday. From left, Markus Glover, Wallace Ridout, Artez Pride and Raheem Reese were among students greeted by Ambridge police Tuesday, who were present because of a fight between a black student and white student Friday in the school's cafeteria.

AMBRIDGE - Tracy Motton paced outside the Ambridge Police Department, worried about the well-being of her 16-year-old son, Marcus, one of three students taken into custody after simmering tensions apparently erupted Tuesday morning at Ambridge Area High School.

"I have not seen him yet. I've been here about two hours now," Motton said.

Rahim Tyson also waited to see his son, Darrius, unsure exactly what happened to land him at the police station.

"By the time I got down here (to the school), he was already in the back of the police car. I haven't been able to talk to officers to see if he's being charged. Their doors are locked. We've had no access to talk to them," Tyson said.

Ambridge police later said they charged two juveniles with aggravated assault, simple assault, inciting a riot, resisting arrest and misdemeanor disorderly conduct, and cited one juvenile with disorderly conduct.

Their parents said Marcus Motton, a junior, and Darrius Tyson, 17, a junior, both of Ambridge and cousins, were charged and were in Allencrest, Beaver County's juvenile detention center, on Tuesday evening.

Raheem Reese, 15, of Ambridge, a sophomore, said he was cited with disorderly conduct and was released shortly afterward.

TROUBLE BREWING

Angry parents and students said no students were actually fighting Tuesday morning, but an altercation ensued outside the cafeteria between police assigned to the school and one of the students, whom students and parents identified as Marcus Motton.

It was the third confrontation at or near the school in the last few days, according to parents and students. They described incidents including a fight between a white student and black student in the high school cafeteria Friday and a stabbing outside a youth football game at the high school on Saturday afternoon.

The woman whose daughter was stabbed in the Saturday incident, however, said Tuesday that incident was not racially motivated.

But parents of students said there have been several racial incidents in recent days, including white students on Monday wearing white T-shirts to proclaim "white power." Black students wore black clothing Tuesday in response.

"This has been an ongoing situation," Tracy Motton said.

The district has 882 students at the high school, 10 percent of them minorities.

A crying Damiyah Jones, a sophomore, said Tuesday that she watched in horror as police used a Taser to subdue Marcus Motton. She said a police officer had his foot pressed against Motton's neck as he lay on the ground.

Ambridge police, however, said a Taser was not used.

Ambridge police reported that three officers were injured trying to arrest two students. One officer hurt his arm, a second hurt his arm and shoulder, and a third hurt his knee. The department had two officers stationed in the school Tuesday because of Friday's fight.

Police said that around 10:44 a.m., after the first lunch period, one of the two students charged - parents identified this student as Motton - began swearing and was warned by police to stop. When he didn't, police detained him. At that point, police said, another student, whom parents identified as Darrius Tyson, joined in and was also detained.

"This incident today, I can't say it was racially motivated," Ambridge Police Chief Mark Romutis said.

But Marquis Smith, 15, a sophomore, said the students were all peacefully standing in a group in the lobby when an officer came over and began following Motton.

Artez Pride, 18, a junior, said students often gather in the commons area after lunch to talk. Pride said Motton tried to walk away as a police officer followed him, telling the officer, "I'm good, I'm not going to do nothing." Pride said she didn't know why the officer went up to Motton. Tyson quickly came to his aid, she said.

"He (the officer) was moving people out of the way just to get to Marcus," Smith said.

Tyson's grandfather Robert Greer of Ambridge said Tyson was just trying to stop the police from beating on Motton, his cousin.

"They jumped him and started beating him. It's racist stuff going on up here, and the cops are racist," Greer said.

About a dozen students left the school after the incident, some picked up by parents. Some parents and students gathered outside the police department waiting for answers. A deputy sheriff spoke with the parents of Motton and Tyson.

Superintendent Dr. Erv Weischedel did not return two phone messages left at his office Tuesday.

INVESTIGATION CONTINUES

Ambridge Principal Alan Fritz said district officials were still trying to piece together what happened, but said Tuesday's incident did not appear to have racial undertones.

The district plans to send a letter home today to parents about the situation and will increase police presence at the school to avoid further incidents. Police will also be scanning students with hand-held metal detectors as they enter school.

"I have no comment until we get to the bottom of what is actually going on," Fritz said.

Reese's citation said he swore at police several times and refused to stop. Reese said he didn't do anything.

"I was talking to somebody in a car because they wanted to know what happened, and one of the cops said something to me," said Reese, who said he used an expletive.

Leetsdale, Baden and Harmony Township police, along with the Beaver County Sheriff's Department, responded to the incident.

Police said the two students who were charged were treated at Sewickley Valley Hospital and placed in Allencrest.

Police gathered Tuesday at Duss Avenue and 10th Street outside the school during dismissal, when students were let out in small groups at a time.

Several Beaver County detectives reviewed surveillance video at the school before recommending the charges, police said.

"This investigation is still ongoing," Ambridge Patrolman Zadock Dismuke said. "More arrests are planned as a result of this."

TENSIONS BUILD

Tensions began building at Ambridge Area High School after a confrontation in the cafeteria Friday. According to students and parents, a white student called a black student a racial slur and spit on his sister before the two began fighting.

"My brother fought him because he kept saying (slur) this and (slur) that," Nyjuata Marshman, 17, a junior, said.

Ambridge Police Chief Mark Romutis said both students were cited by police with disorderly conduct. The two were also suspended from school, according to students.

Tracy Motton said her son Marcus received threatening telephone calls Monday night from two parents who told her "to keep that (racial epithet) away from my daughter or he would get beat up."

Rahim Tyson and other parents said students were text-messaging each other to wear white to school on Monday to support the white student who was suspended and to put black students "back in line."

"It's been a racial climate that's been building up for most of the week. Now they're talking about shooting up all the kids," said Tyson, whose son Darrius was one of the students charged Tuesday.

Motton said she made a police report Monday night and also reported the incident to the school. She said the school was supposed to call her back, but she had not heard back from school officials before Tuesday's incident.


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