Police respond to fight at Navarre Middle School after basketball game

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) - Police responded to Navarre Middle School on Thursday night on reports of a fight.

Navarre Middle School was hosting a middle school girls basketball championship, which started at 6 p.m. As the game was letting out, a fight erupted involving both juveniles and adults around 7:30 p.m. Nearly every South Bend officer on shift responded to the fight, with assistance from St. Joseph County Police and Indiana State Police.

One adult has been arrested, and one juvenile has been detained. No injuries have been reported at this time.

“This has got to stop happening here,” said South Bend Police Chief Scott Ruszkowski. “The excuses and the downplaying of these events. I was right in the middle of this. The disrespect, the violence that was happening to not just other human beings, but to police officers as human beings as well. This has simply got to stop. And I will tell you that there were administrators here. They were trying to assist, but there comes a point in time when assistance becomes a hindrance, and that’s what we experienced here.

“And I can assure you by next week I will be talking with school administrators and other personnel that may have been involved out here because when the police have to intervene like this, then the police have to intervene,” he continued. “And again, these officers are out here doing their job, trying to get everybody out of here safely. And to be mistreated, verbally and physically abused the way they are, that is not happening again. I am telling you right now that is not happening.”

Two more juveniles were initially detained but are now back home with their parents.

The investigation is ongoing.

Thursday night’s fight comes on the heels of a large fight that broke out just over a month ago at Washington High School during halftime of Washington’s senior night game against Riley. That game was postponed due to the fight, but the second half was unable to be rescheduled. Five young men were charged in connection with that fight.

Ruszkowski spoke with 16 News Now after the fight on Thursday night at Navarre:

Stay with 16 News Now on-air and online as we continue to bring you the latest on this developing story.

Copyright 2023 WNDU. All rights reserved.