By Susan Bromley

Staff Writer

Brandon Twp.- An alleged racial incident between adults preceded one teenager assaulting another at the high school last week.

The attack occurred the day following the presidential election, and while Superintendent Matt Outlaw declined to comment on the specific incident, he said, “I am really proud of our students and staff across the district for the mature manner that they have handled the recent election and some of the turmoil that we have unfortunately seen in other communities around the country.  In the Brandon School District, I am pleased to report that we are business as usual with our continued focus on student learning.”

According to an Oakland County Sheriff’s Office report, deputies and medics responded at about 11:24 a.m., Nov. 9 to the school, 1025 S. Ortonville Road, after a 16-year-old boy punched a 15-year-old boy multiple times.

Two male student witnesses observed the incident and both said the 16-year-old approached the 15-year-old, who was seated, and began hitting him unprovoked, knocking him to the ground. A school counselor observed the victim running from the suspect, who punched the victim in the head, with the boy then falling to the ground face first.

Additional information in the OCSO report said the incident began the evening of Nov. 8 when an ethnic intimidation report was filed by the suspect’s mother and a friend of hers against an adult relative or acquaintance of the 15-year-old. Neither of the boys were suspects in that investigation, but their incident began because the victim was a witness in the  dispute between the adults.

The 15-year-old sustained a bruised left eye, bloody lip, and had slight bleeding in his left ear. The boy’s father later reported his child was diagnosed with a concussion at McLaren Medical in Clarkston.

The 16-year-old gave a written statement in which he said he confronted the 15-year-old at lunch for racial slurs and threats made against his family and repeatedly asked him why it was a good idea to threaten his mother and yell racial slurs. He said he hit the 15-year-old about three times after the the boy “continued to lie.”

The 16-year-old was taken to Children’s Village without incident and a juvenile petition was forwarded to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office