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A video that captured a brawl between students and a gang of juveniles at Howard University has infuriated netizens after news broke that at least one student was stabbed during the incident.
While the reason that triggered the scuffle was unclear, the university’s police chief Marcus Lyles said that the fight was provoked by juveniles who allegedly belonged to a fight club. The juveniles, who reportedly have a history of instigating brawls, were accused of going around the area and starting random, unprovoked fights with people.
The incident that broke out outside two residence halls at Howard University on August 14, 2023, reportedly injured several people, including the student who was stabbed at the scene.
Netizens react to Howard University violet brawl
Detailing the incident, a victim of the violent brawl told NBC News that there were at least a dozen assailants who attacked the students outside two residence halls at Howard University early Monday morning. The victim, who appeared to be a student at the university, described the assailants as locals, adding that the attack was unprovoked.
“It was like maybe 5, 10, 20 “And one lunged at me, so I squared up. They just started kicking us, punching us. We were getting jumped.”
Another victim said that security, who watched the student being stabbed, walked away from the scene without providing any assistance. The incident has sparked outrage among netizens who took to social media to air their concerns over security at the university. Reacting to the brawl, a social media user said:
“Just so sad that these young people are so disrespectful and have no sense of pride for one another.”
Another opined:
“Just so sad that these young people are so disrespectful and have no sense of pride for one another.”
Howard University speaks out in the wake of the violent brawl
In the wake of the violent brawl, Howard University officials said that they are committed to increasing security on campus, adding that they plan to install more than 10,000 cameras. Concerns were raised as the recent incident comes amid two similar situations that transpired on campus after a fight was instigated by juveniles not affiliated with the school. The university’s police chief Marcus Lyles said:
“Over this weekend, we had two very disturbing events and I want to be clear about that. They were disgusting events.”
Lyle's revealed that at least one juvenile suspect was arrested with a handgun at the scene. Concerned about the gratuitous violence, Lyles added:
“Washington, D.C. is having a tough time right now. There are too many guns on the street, too many juveniles that are conducting violent crimes.”
Meanwhile, at a town hall meeting on Tuesday, August 15, Tashni Dubroy, the university’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, said that they were committed to providing a safe environment for students at the campus.
“We want to ensure that our students feel safe on campus. That’s our No. 1 priority. We talk about it all the time. We want you to have a good time. What we are not going to tolerate is anybody trying to bully our students.”
Lyles revealed that they have opened an internal investigation into the incident.
