Olathe Police say one teenager was arrested after a student-led anti-ICE protest resulted in a fight on Friday afternoon.
In a news release Monday, Olathe Police spokesperson Sgt. John Moncayo said officers were called to the area of College Boulevard and Lone Elm Road at about 2:07 p.m. Friday, following reports of a fight.
The intersection is just across College Boulevard from Olathe Northwest High School, 21300 College Blvd.
“Officers were informed that a protest had escalated into a physical disturbance,” Moncayo said in the release. “Numerous officers responded and stabilized the incident.”
On Friday, hundreds of Olathe Northwest students walked out of school to protest ICE and the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies.
Pictures shared with the Post by an amateur photographer show the students walking out of school and gathering around the intersection at College and Lone Elm.
One teen, only identified by police as a “juvenile male,” was arrested on Friday.
Moncayo said investigators are still working to identify and contact everyone who may have been involved.
An apparent fight at the student-led walkout was captured on video and viewed widely on social media over the weekend after it was shared by far-right influencer account Libs of TikTok.
The video appears to show a scuffle breaking out on the southeast corner of the intersection, in front of Christ Community Church of the Nazarene, with multiple students seen throwing punches.
At one point, one teen tries to rip a Trump flag away from another teen. By the end of the video, one person is seen lying on the ground.
“The Olathe Police Department supports the community’s right to engage in peaceful protest and lawful assembly. We are committed to protecting those rights and ensuring public safety. Violence, property damage, or threats to people will be addressed appropriately to protect the community,” Moncayo said in Monday’s news release.
In a letter to families, Olathe Northwest Principal Chris Zuck said school officials were “working closely with law enforcement to thoroughly investigate this situation and identify the students involved.”
“As previously shared, staff members do not participate in walkouts but observe from a short distance to help ensure student safety,” Zuck said. “When students leave campus, however, we cannot guarantee supervision. In this instance, our district Safety Services team and our partners at the Olathe Police Department worked quickly to stop the off-campus altercation.”
The Olathe Northwest walkout on Friday was the latest anti-ICE demonstration by Johnson County students. The Post has documented at least 12 prior walkouts at schools across the county, including at least two separate events at Olathe schools.
None of the other previous ICE walkouts have resulted in altercations, and the events have been largely peaceful.
Zuck said school officials knew about the anti-ICE walkout at Olathe Northwest and had sent communication to families the day before, but that it was “not sponsored, organized, or endorsed by me, our staff, our school, or the school district.”
“Let me be clear: while we value our students’ perspectives and recognize their constitutional right to participate in peaceful demonstrations, we do not tolerate violence. When behavior crosses that line, it becomes a disciplinary matter, and there will be serious consequences in accordance with the Code of Student Conduct,” Zuck’s letter said. “While privacy laws prevent me from sharing specific consequences for individual students, please know that once those responsible are identified, the consequences will be serious as they are for any altercation that happens. Although we recognize students’ rights to express their views, we will not allow those rights to be used as justification for violence. ”
Police continue to investigate and ask anyone with information about this incident to call them at 913-971-6363 or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477.
Kate Mays contributed to this report.
