“They were swinging at teachers, the principal. It was a wild, wild day.”
- DeCarlos Kaigler, director of fiscal services for the school district.
 Elias Funez / Patterson Irrigator Police arrested a pair of 17-year-old boys by 4 p.m. on suspicion of fighting on school grounds because of the incident, though they expect about 150 people were involved in the fight. Homicide detectives with the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department are heading up the investigation because they have heard rumors the incident is connected to the Aug. 11 murder of Emmanuel Moreno at a quinceañera in Crows Landing.
“They were swinging at teachers, the principal. It was a wild, wild day,” said DeCarlos Kaigler, director of fiscal services for the school district.
The riot started when about 1,000 students were gathered on the school’s lawn along Seventh Street, according to witnesses and police.
Students had evacuated class after an unknown person triggered a fire alarm. Patterson Fire Department did not find evidence of a fire.  Elias Funez / Patterson Irrigator While most students stood on the grass, a fight between a few people broke out, leading to several others, most witnesses said.
“No teachers could do anything,” said Patterson resident Stacy Silva, who witnessed the incident from across the street. “No adults could do anything.”
School employees attempted to break up the fights, but could not do so, she said. Police arrived, but it would be about 15 minutes before they could control the crowd.
“They did everything they could do, but they were outnumbered by far,” said a man who witnessed the fight. “More and more fights broke out even with the cops right there.”
Stanislaus County Sheriff’s spokesman Royjindar Singh said a faculty member was among the four people who suffered minor injuries.
Some students said that only a few youths got involved in the violence.  Elias Funez / Patterson Irrigator “It looked like all of us were fighting, but we weren’t,” Patterson High School senior Sandra Pementel said.
The campus went on lockdown after the fight. The school kept students in classrooms as deputies searched for a girl that reportedly had a gun.
“A lot of people were scared,” freshman Adrian Laurel said. “We got text messages saying people had been stabbed.”
Another student said he saw someone with a small knife, but Singh said no one was stabbed.
Police went through every room in the school, but did not find any weapons and started releasing students around 1:30 p.m. The only students not allowed to leave were those being questioned by police.
Dozens of parents anxiously waited along Ninth Street in hopes of retrieving their children before school officials released the students. Some parents talked with their children on cell phones or sent text messages as a sheriff’s helicopter circled overhead.
“I feel like I’m going to throw up,” parent Melissa Carney said as she waited for students to be released.
 Elias Funez / Patterson Irrigator Police received reports of possible future violence as they searched the campus; someone reported there could be a drive-by shooting.
Residents close to the campus reported people were hiding in their backyards.
In addition to Patterson High, nearby Las Palmas Elementary School also went on lockdown shortly after 10 a.m.
Police suspect the brawl could have been connected to the Moreno shooting, which Patterson Police Chief Tyrone Spencer said had been gang-related. However, Moreno’s brother said Moreno was not in a gang.
Though police would not directly say what gang Moreno had been in, Patterson Police Services recently implied during gang forums that he was a member of the Runners — a fairly new gang based out of west Patterson. They get their name from Roadrunner Drive in the Heartland Ranch housing development.
Providing an opinion that many parents and students may find disturbing, one student affiliated with the Runners on Wednesday said he viewed the brawl in a positive light.
“It’s about pride and respect,” Via Uloa said.
 Elias Funez / Patterson Irrigator “It’s a different day,” Uloa said. “It’s a happy day. This is the best thing to ever happen to our school.”
The sheriff’s department had been sending extra patrols to Patterson of late, because of a surge in gang activity.
More than a dozen extra law enforcement agents remained in Patterson after students were released, Singh said. The additional patrols will continue to be in Patterson this week.
District officials plan to have classes tomorrow at the high school, but some parents were not willing to bring their children back.
That includes Patterson resident Donna Clubb, who said she drove 100 mph from her job in San Jose to get back to Patterson after hearing about the brawl.
“I’m not sending them back till I get some answers,” she said.
Patterson Unified School District’s board of trustees plans to have an emergency closed-session board meeting today at 8:30 a.m. regarding “student matters.” That session will be preceded by a public comment period.
The board meets at the district office at 510 Keystone Blvd.
To reach John Saiz at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail him at
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Managing editor Jonathan Partridge contributed to this report.
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HEY CALL ME!!!!! YEEEEEEEEEEE YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE 
(happy thoughts are nice)ha,ha,ha!! Take care guys...my best wishes go to everyone involved today. 
) 
