High-school fights force lockdown

Three teens were led from Mountlake Terrace High School in handcuffs Wednesday after police say they played major roles in three fights on campus.

The nearly 1,700-student school was forced into lockdown that morning as Mountlake Terrace police tried to break up a large crowd watching a brawl in a hallway, as well as break apart two other fights outside, said Assistant Police Chief Mike Mitchell. The nearly 45-minute lockdown was called off around noon.

"Things were starting to get out of hand," Mitchell said. "When you have two people fighting and other people egging it on, it can tend to escalate. There was a need to de-escalate the situation."

Police don't know if the three fights are related or what the teens were fighting about. They said a fight Tuesday night outside the Mountlake Terrace Recreation Pavilion, involving teens from neighboring Scriber Lake High School, is unrelated to the other three fights. Nobody was arrested in the Tuesday fight, Mitchell said.

Twelve Mountlake Terrace High School students were directly involved in Wednesday's three fights, said Edmonds School District spokeswoman Debbie Jakala. So far, four students have been suspended and two have been expelled.

Of the three male students taken out of the school in handcuffs, only two were booked into jail on suspicion of disorderly conduct. The third student was released to his parents so he could be taken to the hospital, Mitchell said. Officers say they plan to recommend that prosecutors consider filing disorderly-conduct charges against him, he said. Police reported no other injuries.

In an unrelated fight Wednesday, police questioned seven teens and confiscated knives and swords near Chief Sealth High School in Seattle. The youths were fighting near the north end of the school's campus, said Seattle police spokeswoman Debra Brown, though police don't think any of the weapons were used.

Police still are investigating, and no arrests have been made.

Four students have been temporarily banned from school while an investigation is completed.

Seattle Times staff reporter Sara Jean Green contributed to this report.

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com