Crime & Safety

Two Injured in St. Louis Community College Melee

Two people sustained minor injuries in the fight that broke out on the Meramec campus Monday and involved the arrest of three people.

Two people sustained minor injuries from the violent fight that broke out on the campus Monday.

It's unclear whether the two who sustained injuries were involved with the fight, according to DeLancey Smith, director of communications for the college.

(See previous article: )

Find out what's happening in Kirkwoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The three people arrested after the fight were arrested on charges of assault, Smith said. The degree of the charges is unclear at this time. An official incident report has yet to be completed and filed by campus police.

The altercation that drew a crowd of bystanders broke out between the Business Administration and Communications South buildings afternoon passing periods. Police responded to the scene at 1:50 p.m., according The Montage

Find out what's happening in Kirkwoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Campus police responded within minutes after receiving a report of a disturbance. Five officers, including a lieutenant and chief, responded to the incident. A bystander video shows police arriving on the scene 90 seconds after the fight broke out. STLCC believes police arrived on the scene much sooner, Smith said.

The video shows one officer holding a can of pepper spray. Smith said the spray was never dispersed and was used as an element of restraint.

The communications director said the incident was a rare occurrence.

"This is the first fight I've seen on any campus, and I've been with the college for two years," Smith said. "It's certainly not a common occurrence at all."

Police handled the situation in the appropriate manner, Smith said.

"As a public institution, we're always trying to tweak emergency management procedures," he said, noting that one campus is conducting a security drill Friday. "It's really on the top of our mind. With all the incidents (on campuses) across the country, every institution has to aware of incidents like this."

Those arrested Monday were booked through the Kirkwood Police Department. Their cases will be referred to Kirkwood Municipal Court, according to The Montage.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.

More from Kirkwood