17-Year-Old Faces Criminal Charge in Watkins Mill Fight

The post-football brawl last week at Watkins Mill High School has resulted in a criminal charge, according to police.

A 17-year-old Watkins Mill student has been charged as a juvenile with second-degree assault in the Sept. 21 altercation just off the Gaithersburg school’s campus.

Montgomery County police had received a complaint of a Watkins Mill student being struck in the back of the head as spectators left last Friday’s game between Watkins Mill and Clarksburg High School, which the Wolverines won 10-8 on a field goal with 10 seconds left on the clock.

Several large fights had broken out along Apple Ridge Road involving more than 30 students, witnesses said.

During the fracas, 15-year-old Janaya Richards was struck by one of 11 police cruisers that had been called in to back up the eight officers already on the scene. The Watkins Mill sophomore is in stable condition at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, and four officers have been put on paid administrative leave pending the standard internal probe into the incident.

In the week since, investigators have struggled to get witness accounts, said Capt. Paul Starks, a police spokesperson.

Meanwhile, security has been bolstered tonight for Watkins Mill's homecoming game against Rockville High School.

"I am extremely disappointed that a Watkins Mill student was involved in what happened prior to the unfortunate accident with Janaya last Friday," Principal Scott Murphy wrote in an email to Patch.

"I am confident that appropriate action will be taken through the police investigation. Moving forward, we are fully prepared for a positive, safe homecoming game this evening for the vast majority of our students who do the right thing each and every day."