TPS security pepper sprays Memorial High School students to break up fight

TULSA - A fist fight between students at Memorial High School in Tulsa turned into much more.  

School officials say a security guard pepper sprayed students to break up the fight.

Parents and students are asking questions after a crowd of students got caught in the middle. One student caught that fight on camera. You can see his cell phone video above.

Right after lunch at Memorial High School, a fight broke out between several students in a crowded hallway.

Officials say between three and five students were involved. They say a security guard stepped in and pepper sprayed the fighting students.

Students who were there say several students and teachers in the crowd also got hit by the pepper spray.

"They pepper sprayed again and it got in my eyes and my mouth, and my nose got all tingly," said 16-year-old Lauren Peters.

"I was scared and I couldn't breathe. It was very scary," Peters said.

School officials say a nurse treated some students and staff who were hit by the pepper spray. EMSA also treated some students, but no one was hurt.

2NEWS found the school district's policy states pepper spray should only be used as a tool for self-defense and protection:

The purpose of OC spray is as both a self-defense tool to control persons who pose a threat to the officer and to protect students or faculty/staff from others who are attempting to commit assault or battery. OC spray is not used to gain simple compliance to instruction but is designed to protect the officer from being assaulted and to protect others from the same.   The use of OC spray is a use of force that is designed to gain control of an escalating situation with the understanding that the use in a closed and confined space may disrupt the school environment.  Since it is disruptive, use is discouraged in all but the most serious cases of threatening behavior, assaults and fighting where students, faculty/staff or the officer personally is at risk of being injured.  

Gary D. Rudick
Chief of Police
Tulsa Public Schools

But some parents believe the use of pepper spray in this situation was excessive.

"I'm just trying to figure out why, 30 kids, needed to be pepper sprayed," said Kendra Lawson.

Lawson wants answers.

"If it was my kid, I would be up here starting a lot of trouble," she said.

Officials say students involved in the fight will face disciplinary action. They're still reviewing the case.

Click here to read the entire policy from TPS.