HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — A fight between Highland Springs High School students escalated off campus and resulted in a violent two-vehicle crash at a nearby shopping center on Friday afternoon.
Shortly before 4:15 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 15, School Resource Officers (SROs) with the Henrico County Police Division were alerted to a fight that broke out involving multiple students following a pep rally at Highland Springs High School.
“To de-escalate the altercation involving multiple students, an SRO deployed OC spray [pepper spray] to the group,” a spokesperson with Henrico Police said.
Two teens received minor injuries as a result of the fight and were treated by the school nurse.
Shortly after this occurred, other fights reportedly broke out — including in a parking lot of Springer Plaza Shopping Center. Multiple officers were called to the school and Airport Drive as a result.
Around 4:30 p.m., a two-vehicle crash occurred in the same shopping center parking lot.
According to police, the driver of an SUV sped through the parking lot and hit a United States Postal Services (USPS) carrier van, overturning it. The driver of the USPS — identified as an adult male — was reportedly ejected from the vehicle and later taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Two juveniles were also hit by the SUV and received minor injuries. Police said they drove themselves to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The driver of the SUV — identified as an adult female — was charged with reckless driving and released on a summons. She is scheduled to appear in court in the coming weeks. The Henrico Police Crash Team will work with the Henrico County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office to determine if further charges are necessary.
The Henrico County Police Division is also collaborating with the school division on pending charges related to the assaults that occurred on school grounds.
Highland Springs High School was one of two Henrico schools that changed spectator policies for football games earlier this month in an effort to increase student safety. The change is part of a larger trend that has affected other divisions like Richmond Public Schools as well.
“Our detectives continue to investigate what exactly unfolded this afternoon from the grounds of Highland Springs High School to the parking lot of the shopping center,” a spokesperson with Henrico Police said. “Given the multiple incidents that occurred, we’re asking anyone with information to please contact us.”
Anyone with information related to the events that occurred on and off Highland Springs High School’s campus is encouraged to contact Officer C. Bolinger at 804-501-5000.
