Preschool brawl parents get charges dropped

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES

After listening to testimony all day, the judge dropped the charges for all involved, which included assault with a deadly weapon and robbery.

According to a police sergeant involved in the case, the judge made the decision based on one of three videos depicting the fight. The judge said he couldn't find enough evidence from that video that shows anyone was hit with a chair or that anything was stolen.

A cellphone video posted on YouTube shows the adults fighting in front of children at Wheemes Elementary school earlier this month.

Mary Washington, who happens to be a preschool teacher, claimed she was violently attacked and had her phone and car keys stolen.

She testified Thursday that she was standing in line with her 5-year-old daughter waiting to get a photo taken, when she made a comment to another parent about how long some of the other families were taking.

That's when she says she was attacked by five or six people, and was kicked, punched, shoved and hit with a chair. Police also say her purse and keys were stolen in the melee.

"My heart aches for them, especially for my daughter," said Washington. "She's afraid to go to school, she has nightmares, she doesn't like to eat a lot. Every time we pass a school, she cries because she thinks something is going to happen, and they associate a graduation with a fight."

One of the suspects in the fight is still behind bars because she had a warrant out for her arrest. Another is a juvenile and will face a judge at a later time.

Copyright © 2024 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.