Ste Anne youth charged after assault sends student to hospital

Ste Anne police have charged a high school student following an attack captured on video that sent a youth to hospital.

Marc Robichaud, police chief for the Ste Anne Police Service, said one student was charged with assault after a school yard fight at Ste Anne Collegiate on Nov.25. The fight was recorded on video and shared among students.

“It was horrible,” he said. “I feel the same way as anyone in the public who saw it, which is outrage.”

The student was taken to hospital and was released the same day with minor injuries, Robichaud said. He said police aren’t often called to the school and labeled the attack as an anomaly.

In a video shared with The Carillon, several students confront a classmate sitting on a planter at the school. After a short exchange, a student throws the victim to the ground and starts kicking his ribs. He then stomps and punches the victim’s head multiple times. The video showed students grouped around the attack and then walking away as the the victim continues to be hit.

Ste Anne Collegiate principal Yvan St. Vincent sent a letter to parents the day after the alleged assault, alerting them about the school-wide assembly held to address the incident.

“This situation is troubling, and we felt it was important to speak directly with all students right away,” he wrote.

St. Vincent detailed how several students nearby didn’t take steps to get help while the one student attacked the other student. He said violence of any kind isn’t acceptable at the school and the incident “is not something we ever want to see again.”

“Standing by, filming or encouraging conflict is not okay,” the letter read, adding that the school will continue monitoring common areas and will reach out to families to support students.

He wrote the incident doesn’t reflect what the school wants to be, and the majority of students do the right thing each day.

A parent of a student attending the school, who wished to stay anonymous, called the attack “heartbreaking.”

“To see so many young people watching and not intervening, probably out of fear of repercussions, is disheartening,” she said.

Colin Campbell, Seine River School Division’s superintendent, said in an email statement he’s aware of the incident and the division will co-operate with the police investigation. Details about the arrest won’t be shared out of respect for the students and families involved and because it’s now a police matter, he said.

“The safety and well-being of our students and staff remain our top priority, and we will continue to follow established protocols and support those affected,” Campbell said.