An Avondale school resource officer has been removed from West Point High School and reassigned to administrative duties while Peoria police investigate a filmed physical altercation with a student.
The incident happened during lunch Thursday, Sept. 17, at the Tolleson Union High School District campus, 11620 W. Encanto Blvd. in Avondale. Avondale police said multiple fights had been reported on campus. District Superintendent Jeremy Calles told ABC15 that a food fight occurred in the cafeteria as staff were clearing students from the area.
Cellphone video circulating online shows the officer and student in a physical confrontation. The recording does not establish everything that happened before the encounter, and neither the police investigation nor the district review has reached a finding.
Peoria police will conduct the outside review
Avondale police asked the Peoria Police Department to investigate, a step the department said was intended to provide an independent and transparent review. The officer’s name has not been released.
The district said the officer will not return to campus while the case is under investigation. Calles also told ABC15 that the district is working with Avondale police to bring another officer to West Point High School.
Arizona’s Family separately reported the reassignment and outside investigation, citing statements from Avondale police and the school district.
Authorities have not announced whether the student or officer was injured, whether any arrest or disciplinary action occurred, or how long the investigation may take. No finding of wrongdoing has been made against either person.
What investigators are likely to examine
An outside review can extend beyond the cellphone clip. Investigators may compare the recording with school surveillance video and any available body-camera footage, interview students and staff, and evaluate the officer’s actions against department policy and training. Peoria police, rather than Avondale police, will be responsible for determining the investigative record.
The school district is conducting its own review of the circumstances and said it will take action based on the findings. Because the case involves a student, the district said it is limited in what it can release. West Valley Post is not identifying the student.
The distinction between the two reviews matters. A police investigation can examine potential criminal conduct and department procedures, while the district can address campus safety, staffing and school policy. The agencies have not said whether their reviews will finish on the same timeline.
A large West Valley campus
West Point High School opened in 2019 and serves nearly 3,000 students, according to the school. The reassignment affects the on-campus safety assignment immediately, while the planned replacement would preserve school-resource-officer coverage during the investigation.
The next substantive milestones will be any Peoria police finding, a district decision, and confirmation of the replacement officer. Until then, the available video remains one piece of evidence in an unresolved case.
Featured image: AI-generated editorial illustration. It does not depict West Point High School, the officer, the student or the incident.
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