BUDA, Texas – A man was arrested in connection with a physical altercation during a high school student walkout, according to the Buda Police Department.
On Tuesday afternoon, officers served an arrest warrant to Chad Michael Watts, 45, of Kyle, for two counts of assault causing body injury.
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Around 1:30 p.m. Monday, police said they were notified by a Hays County Sheriff’s Office school resource officer that students at Moe & Gene Johnson High School in Buda were conducting a walkout protest on FM 967.
According to the Austin American-Statesman, the walkout was one of many held nationally and across the state to protest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions.
Police said law enforcement personnel with multiple agencies responded to the area “in order to provide safety and security for pedestrians and motorists.”
Around 3 p.m. Monday, officers were dispatched to the intersection of FM 967 and FM 1626 for a fight in progress.
Officers were notified of a girl on the sidewalk and a man in a vehicle engaged in a verbal argument, police said, which escalated into a physical altercation involving multiple people.
Video shared with the American-Statesman reportedly showed a man and a girl in an altercation on the grass before other students rush the man and pull him off her.
The man left the scene before officers arrived but was later located and interviewed. Police said “both primary parties involved” reported minor injuries and denied EMS evaluation.
“Due to the offense not occurring in an officer’s presence or view, both involved parties were identified and released as required by Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, Art. 14.03. No arrests were made at this time,” police said.
Upon further investigation, police determined Watts was the primary aggressor in the physical altercation.
A spokesperson for the Hays Consolidated Independent School District said the altercation did not occur on school property, according to the American-Statesman.
The superintendent confirmed the man is not a district employee, and said the student is “believed to be” from Johnson High School, the American-Statesman reported.
The investigation is ongoing to determine if additional charges will be filed, police said.
Anyone with additional evidence, information or witness statements is urged to contact Hays County dispatch at 512-393-7896.
Information can also be submitted anonymously through Hays County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-324-TIPS (8477), www.callcrimestoppers.com, or through the “P3 Tips” phone app.
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