Hemet students suspected of involvement in large fight, shots fired at popular park near WVHS campus
HEMET, Calif., — Residents who live near Hemet’s Brubaker Park were shocked yesterday to see a large fight break out followed by shots fired and people fleeing from the area in every direction yesterday afternoon, Wednesday, Sept. 22. Responding officers, who converged on the area from around the city, found shell casings and ultimately detained several juveniles believed to have been involved or at the scene of the fight and shooting, according to officials.
Officials say many of those involved in the fight are suspected of being students from nearby West Valley High School and say they are “working closely” with the school and Hemet Unified School District to determine what may have led to the fight and shooting and to identify those involved in the melee.
Nobody was identified as having been injured as a result of the fight or shooting, officials have since reported.
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City of Hemet police officers were dispatched to the park, located just east of S. Cawston Avenue and Mustang Way and adjacent the high school around 3:18 p.m. after receiving reports of a large group of people involved in a fight, Hemet Police Lieutenant Michael Arellano later said of the incident.
While officers were headed to the location, the City’s Public Safety Communications Center began receiving additional calls from citizens reporting hearing gun shots coming from the park, according to the Lieutenant.
“Officers were on scene within minutes and located several spent casings in the parking lot of the park, but all involved parties had fled before the officers arrival,” he explained; adding that the officers did not locate any shooting victims.
Officials are seen working at the scene of a crash that resulted in five people being detained. Hemet PD has said evidence showed the group may have been involved in a large fight at nearby Brubaker Park that ended with shots fired and people fleeing in every direction. Tina Rivas/Hemet Crime Society photo
While additional officers were responding to the scene, one of them witnessed a vehicle collision occur at the intersection of Johnston Avenue and Merced Way.
Evidence was located near the scene of the collision indicating the occupants of the vehicle may have been involved in this incident at the park and the five occupants were detained and transported back to the Hemet Police Station for further investigation and questioning, according to Arellano.
“Due to the close proximity to West Valley High School, we are working closely with the Hemet Unified School District to ensure the safety of our schools, students, and the surrounding community,” Arellano continued.
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This is an active investigation and anyone with information regarding this incident or who fired the rounds during the brawl is encouraged to contact Sergeant Gabe Gomez at (951) 765-2396, or provide anonymous information through the Hemet PD smartphone app available for free via the Apple App Store for iOS devices and Google Play for Android users. Anonymous tips are always accepted.
Click any photo to open full-size gallery.
Tina Rivas/Hemet Crime Society photos
Contact the writer: [email protected]
Trevor Montgomery, 50, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).
Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County-based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.
Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.
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