BRANFORD, CT – Police have charged nine, eight juveniles and one adult, an 18-year-old student, in connection with a brawl at Branford High School that turned into a scuffle in which teenagers were tasered and police officers were injured, said the police with.

Patch emailed BHS Principal Lee Panagoulias for comment. If a response is received, this post will be updated.

In several civilian videos viewed by Patch, a teenager is seen being verbally abused during a scuffle with police at a nearby Dunkin' Donuts. Patch filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the Branford Police Department for the officer's body-worn camera videos. The request was denied because those videos showed juveniles, according to Deputy Police Chief John Alves.

“We are aware that several videos of the incident have surfaced online regarding this incident. We remind the public that these videos do not depict the entire incident and do not depict the actions that led to the arrest of the individuals and, in certain circumstances, the threats.” Due to state laws regarding the release of juvenile records, we cannot Publish footage from body-worn cameras.

According to Branford police, a fight was reported in the parking lot of 207 East Main Street on Monday around 2:30 p.m., school end time. When officers arrived, it was clear there was a planned fight as about 70 students were gathered both in the parking lot and at the nearby Dunkin' Donuts store, police said.

According to a statement police posted on Facebook, as more officers entered the school, they saw that there were “several active fights outside with teenage high school females.” Police said officers separated children during a fight involving two women and then the students “began fleeing the area.”

Police said that “officers asked students to disperse, several youths refused to leave and continued to cause a disturbance.”

“Officers began escorting the large crowd from the store and several juvenile males began challenging and fighting officers,” police said on social media. “There was a fight between two teenagers and officers in the vestibule area.” The police described the scene, the video of which was widely published on social media: “During the altercation, an officer was pushed against the front window of the vestibule, shattering it and glass flew everywhere. The youth continued to fight with officers, kicking and refusing to comply with the officer's attempts to secure him.”

Branford police said, “An officer used a Taser to obtain compliance but was unsuccessful.” The teen was eventually taken into custody and was taken to a local hospital in accordance with department policy regarding the Taser deployment treated and later released.

The videos shared on Facebook, TikTok and elsewhere show a look at the incident at Dunkin' Donuts. Police warn that videos online “do not show the entire incident.” And added that “as videos continue to emerge, more arrests are pending.”

According to police's description of events, “while awaiting processing in police custody, two juveniles continued to be aggressive, spitting on cell cameras and causing damage to a cell bank.” And one of the juveniles was transported to a local facility for a mental health evaluation Taken to hospital, police wrote.

According to the department, some Branford police officers sustained injuries during this incident.

The following individuals received a juvenile summons and were released from police custody to a parent/guardian:

• Juvenile 1 was charged with second-degree breach of peace, assault on a police officer and obstructing police.
• Juvenile 2 was charged with second degree breach of peace.
• Juvenile 3 was charged with second-degree breach of peace and third-degree assault.
• Juvenile 4 was charged with second-degree breach of peace and obstructing police.
• Juvenile 5 was charged with second-degree breach of peace and obstructing police.
• Juvenile 6 was charged with second-degree threatening, second-degree breach of peace and obstructing police.
• Juvenile 7 was charged with first-degree criminal coercion, second-degree threatening, second-degree breach of peace and interfering with police work.
• Juvenile 8 was charged with second-degree breach of peace.
• Adult student Jayde Gary, 18, of Branford was charged with second-degree breach of peace and third-degree assault.

In their statement on Facebook, police wrote: “The Branford Police Department does not tolerate violence or threats of violence, particularly on or near school property. Police are working with our partners at Branford Schools. We appreciate the collaboration with Branford Schools and we would like to thank Dunkin Donuts employees for their cooperation during this incident.”