Just before 10:30 a.m. on Friday, November 14, a fight between two juvenile female students erupted at Lincoln Middle School in Gainesville as classes were changing. The altercation began near two intersecting hallways at the campus on SE 12th Street.
A Gainesville Police Department school resource officer was only a few feet away when the fight started and immediately stepped in. As the confrontation intensified, a crowd of students gathered, with some cheering and adding to the chaos.
To stop the fight quickly and keep students from getting hurt, the officer used two short bursts of pepper spray, each lasting less than a second, aimed at the students involved. Police noted that pepper spray is considered safer than using a Taser or physically taking the juveniles to the ground.
One student ran from the scene while the officer escorted the other to the nurse’s office. Several nearby students experienced minor secondary exposure to the spray, but none were directly hit. Gainesville Fire Rescue and Alachua County Fire Rescue treated those affected, and the hallways were ventilated.
Both students who were fighting received juvenile civil citations and will also face school district discipline.
Gainesville Police shared the details to ensure the public has accurate information about the department’s role in the incident.
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