An investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department found school staff members did not act criminally in an alleged hate crime involving three wrestlers at Santa Monica High School, according to a news release Monday from Santa Monica Police.
Students took pictures of a noose, which was allegedly used by two white members of the wrestling team to bully the victim, an 18-year-old black teammate, according to police.
But senior staff members, including several assistant principals at the school, ordered students to delete the photos from their phones, according to a report filed by USA LOCAL NEWS in June.
The sheriff’s department found that there was “no probable cause” to believe any staff members did anything that supports an allegation of criminal misconduct, according to the news release.
The alleged hate crime started in the school’s gymnasium and then moved to the locker room on May 4, according to Sgt. Richard Lewis, a spokesman for the Santa Monica Police Department.
“The victim came into the gym and he saw that one of the wrestling dummies had a noose around its neck,” Lewis said.
“Then in the locker room, the two suspects secured the victim to a locker by hanging him with the belt loops of his jeans and shouted racial slurs,” Lewis said.
The allegations angered parents, like Debra Shepherd.
“If it had been two black kids that held a Caucasian kid against his will, they would have left that campus in a squad car,” Shepherd told USA LOCAL NEWS in June.
While school staff members have been cleared of any wrongdoing in the sheriff's investigation, Santa Monica police are still investigating the actions of the students.
That case is still ongoing.
“Santa Monica police have a very close working relationship with the school district,” said Sgt. Richard Lewis, a spokesman for the police department.
“That is why we asked the sheriff to investigate allegations aimed at staff members, to avoid conflict of interest,” Lewis said.
The Santa Monica Police Department has turned its case over to the district attorney’s office, according to Lewis.
Neither the police department nor the sheriff’s office were able to provide further comment.
Sandra Lyon, superintendent for the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, provided a statement late Monday.
"The district did not believe the staff engaged in any criminal activity and we are glad the sheriff supports that in its findings," Lyon said.
A third-party investigator will begin an investigation into whether policies were properly followed after the incident, according to Lyon.
"It's been a very painful time for our district and the community," Lyon said.
"We are optimistic we will learn a lot from this experience."
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