A high school graduation ceremony in central California descended into a brawl on Tuesday, leading to five arrests after a fight spilled onto the field.
The altercation occurred during the commencement for Kings Canyon Unified School District’s alternative education programs, held at the Reedley High School football stadium.
A nearly three-minute cellphone video obtained by ABC30 captured the moment the violence began, just as graduates’ names were being read over the loudspeaker.
The footage begins with two young men in their caps and gowns suddenly trading punches on the field. Within seconds, two others jump in, escalating the confrontation. A fifth person, also a graduate, then steps in, visibly attempting to separate them and break up the fight.
As the fighting intensifies, the students’ graduation sashes can be seen falling off their bodies. From the stands, an onlooker can be heard yelling in dismay, “At a graduation?”
The situation quickly deteriorated further as attendees from the crowd rushed onto the field. The video shows a woman in a brown shirt entering the scuffle, throwing a punch and then losing her balance and falling over.
Two police officers are then seen running onto the scene, joining school district administrators who moved to separate the students. Five people were escorted off the stadium field in custody.
Among those arrested was 19-year-old Adam Velasquez.
His family told ABC30 that the incident was completely unrelated to any gang activity. According to his relatives, Velasquez was waiting in line to receive his diploma when another graduate made an unprovoked, insulting remark about Velasquez’s brother, who was killed several years ago.
The family said Velasquez had worked hard to earn his diploma to make his family proud, but that his emotions got the best of him in the moment. Because of the arrest, Velasquez was unable to walk across the stage or receive his diploma. His family added that they did not justify his behavior and understood that there were consequences for his actions.
The disruption left an impression on the community as families gathered at the high school theater the following evening for a separate graduation ceremony.
“You got to respect everybody here,” Curtis Wood, a parent and resident of nearby Orange Cove, told the publication. “It’s a family event. Whatever issues you have, whatever is going on, leave it at the door.”
Wood called the behavior entirely inappropriate for an event meant to honor the students.
“We got women here, we got kids here,” he said. “Everybody’s here. This is their time. It’s about them succeeding.”
In a statement released after the incident, the Kings Canyon Unified School District stated that the ceremony was able to resume after the disruption was contained.
“Despite this incident, the focus of the evening remained on celebrating our graduates and their accomplishments,” the school district’s statement read. “Thanks to the security measures in place and the quick response from Reedley Police, district staff, and site administrators, the situation was resolved promptly and the graduation ceremony continued with minimal disruption.”
