Two East Ridge High School students were taken into custody on Friday after fighting in the East Ridge High Gymnasium. Another student was inadvertently tased by the East Ridge High School Resource Officer (SRO) as the officer and the student both attempted to break up the fight.
The two students involved in the fight were taken into custody and charged with assault and disorderly conduct. A 17-year-old female was transported to the Juvenile Detention Center. Dearia M. Higgins, 18, was transported to the Hamilton County Jail.
Police said the SRO had been summoned to the area of the gymnasium on a reported fight between two female students. When the SRO arrived a teacher was attempting to break up the fight and was being assaulted by one of the students involved. Police said the SRO, in an attempt to protect the teacher, deployed a taser. Just as the SRO was deploying the taser, a third female student, who was not involved in the incident and was attempting to help the teacher, stepped in between the teacher and the SRO and was inadvertently tased.
The 17-year-old female student who was tased was treated at the scene by fire rescue first responders, and then transported to Parkridge Hospital by LifeGuard EMS for evaluation. She was identified by both the SRO and school officials as a good student and not part of the fight, but was just trying to assist. No other injuries were reported.
Ms. Higgins is due to be in East Ridge Municipal Court on Tuesday, March 30, at 5 p.m.