Wednesday afternoon, six members of the Hamilton High School football team were taken to police headquarters in downtown Chandler, Ariz., under suspicion of sexual assault, kidnapping and aggravated assault of teammates as part of a hazing ritual.
According to police, the crimes occurred on school grounds within the last 17 months and involved multiple victims. This six suspects range in age from 16 to 18.
Terry Locke, spokesperson for the Chandler Unified School District, told azcentral that the district was only recently informed of the situation. "Specific allegations about a sexual assault were received by the district in February of this year and turned over to police,'' he said.
Sargent Daniel Mejia of the Chandler Police Department said only four of the six original suspects are currently facing charges. Police conducted a series of interviews with Hamilton High staff and coaches, but none are suspected in relation to the assault.
"As with many complex cases, investigators believe there may be additional victims or witnesses, and we are encouraging them to call Chandler police," said Mejia.
The district issued an official statement on Wednesday, acknowledging the arrests and assuring the community that the district is cooperating with the police investigation. āChandler Police are in control of this matter, and the District cannot discuss details but has been instructed to defer all questions to the Chandler Police,ā it read.
