BECKLEY, W.Va. — What was supposed to be one of the most joyous times in life for students at Woodrow Wilson High School on Saturday, devolved into a brawl on the lawn of the Raleigh County Convention Center in Beckley.
As graduates exited the convention center, diplomas in hand and caps and gowns still on, a fight broke out involving a large number of people. Video of the incident posted to social media, showed adults engaging in a melee with people screaming, running, fists flying, and other individuals throwing bodies trying to break up the brawl. There’s no indication who started the altercation or what it could have been over.
“What we know happened was there was a fight involving a large number of people,” said David Allard, Deputy Chief of the Beckley Police Department.
Officers from the Beckley Police were quickly dispatched to the scene, but even with a quick response the actual fighting was over before law enforcement arrived.
“We have obtained some surveillance video and video from concerned citizens who were filming. So that’s really what we’re trying to determine; who was involved, who was the primary aggressor, and who may have been criminally liable,” he added.
The video showed mostly adults in the fight. It’s unclear if they were actually parents of the graduates. There were also very few students involved in the melee.
Allard said it was sad that such a joyous time was marred by an ugly incident.
“It’s very sad this is how the graduation will be remembered for some people,” he said.
Allard said they are asking for anybody who may have information to come forward and speak to them. They would also like to see any pictures or video captured on cell phones as the fight continued.