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Mar 1, 2008 10:33 pm US/Eastern
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Student At Center Of Edison Melee Talks To CBS4
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
The student at the center of Friday's major disturbance at Edison Senior High School spoke to
CBS4 on Saturday and said he was shocked to see the melee unfold at his school.
What was supposed to be a peaceful student protest on behalf of student Wadson Sagaille, 17, turned violent and the accounts about how it escalated so quickly vary greatly.
Wadson told
CBS4's Shomari Stone that some of the students involved in Friday's melee witnessed his arrest on Thursday and didn't like the way he was treated during the arrest, especially when Assistant Principal Javier Perez allegedly put him in a chokehold.
Sagaille explained, "He grabbed me from behind and yanked me out. By me not knowing who he was, I flipped him and the police officer slammed my head against the wall and some students who saw that were heartbroken by that."
CBS4 News partner The Miami Herald reports that Miami-Dade Schools Officer Einsley Joseph wrote in his police report, Sagaille was "defiant" and "pushed Perez off his feet". When Officer Joseph tried to intervene, Sagaille fled. He was found in a classroom and according to the officer's report, "Made an attempt at that time to take [Sagaille] into custody due to the fact that the entire classroom had stood up and disrupted neighboring classrooms''. Sagaille damaged computers and kicked a glass fire extinguisher cover while being arrested, according to Officer Joseph.
Wadson wasn't in school at the time of Friday's melee. He's facing an assault charge against the assistant principal.
Wadson's mother, Pamela Sagaille says the whole situation is unfortunate.
"I'm really confused, mostly about everything with the police officers but as far as the kids protest, maybe something needed to be done in order for them to get the attention that was necessary."
Students say police were heavy-handed and out of line. Police say students threw food, water bottles, and even chairs at them. But was it a case of excessive force or police defending themselves?
Officers described the situation as chaotic and 10 officers, along with six students, suffered minor injuries.
Students describe the scene as a melee of police, batons and K-9s. Many students said police used Tasers but police departments involved deny any use of Tasers.
"They were overly excessive, it's like they wanted every kid they touched to bleed," said student Olinda Pierre.
The Miami-Dade Schools Police union president defended his officers on Saturday, saying they showed restraint and professionalism, according to The Miami Herald.
More than a dozen students, who were arrested during Friday's on-campus disturbance with police, appeared in court Saturday morning and were released after the judge found no probable cause to hold them.
According to CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald, the descriptions of the incident that police provided on arrest affidavits were too vague and didn't specifically state whether the student became physical with officers.
In cases where probable cause was found, the students were put in home detention until a hearing on Monday before a juvenile court judge. All of the students, even the ones allowed to go home Saturday, are required to attend Monday's hearing on charges of resisting arrest and disturbing the peace.
The students were represented by a team of lawyers organized by the Haitian Lawyers Association. The attorney's also represented eight adults arrested on Friday, including two 18-year old girls who were put in a pre-trial monitoring program and allowed to leave jail without posting bond. The other six posted bond and were released.
There's a community meeting scheduled for Sunday afternoon at Edison High. Students are also planning to stage a protest Monday morning at M. Athalie Range Park and demand that Assistant Principal Javier Perez be fired.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald contributed material for this report)