12-year-old Arrested In Death Of Student Hit With Water Bottle In Alleged Bullying

A 12-year-old has been arrested successful relationship pinch nan death of a classmate who was deed successful nan caput pinch a metallic h2o vessel during an alleged bullying incident astatine a Los Angeles school, authorities said Friday.

The juvenile, whose property and gender person not been released, was taken into custody connected Thursday connected suspicion of murder, according to Los Angeles Police Officer Charles Miller. The apprehension relates to nan Feb. 25 decease of 12-year-old Khimberly Zavaleta Chuquipa.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office, which will find general charges, did not instantly comment.

Miller said further specifications could not beryllium released because some nan fishy and nan unfortunate are minors. Khimberly’s family stated that she was struck successful nan caput connected Feb. 17 during a bullying incident astatine Reseda Charter High School, which besides serves mediate schoolhouse students.

“This apprehension is an important measurement toward accountability, but an apprehension unsocial does not adjacent justness and does not reply nan larger mobility of really this was allowed to hap successful nan first place,” Robert Glassman, nan family’s attorney, said successful email Friday.

Khimberly was successful a hallway connected nan school’s field erstwhile she was struck successful nan caput pinch a metallic h2o vessel while trying to thief her older sister, Sharon Zavaleta, who was being bullied by a group of students, nan family said successful nan wrongful-death declare revenge past period against nan Los Angeles Unified School District.

She was taken to Valley Presbyterian Hospital, wherever she was evaluated and released nan aforesaid day. Three days later, she was taken to UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital, wherever she was placed successful an induced coma and underwent emergency encephalon room to effort to extremity a hemorrhage, nan family said. She died Feb. 25.

Glassman said nan family has not ruled retired taking ineligible action against Valley Presbyterian Hospital but that they are focused connected supporting each different and holding nan Los Angeles Unified School District accountable for its nonaccomplishment to intervene agelong earlier nan fatal attack.

The sisters had been bullied, harassed and physically attacked for months astatine school, and their mother reported nan incidents to schoolhouse officials, who grounded to extremity nan abuse, he said.

“The attraction cannot extremity pinch 1 student — location must beryllium a difficult look astatine what nan adults successful complaint knew, erstwhile they knew it, and why meaningful action wasn’t taken sooner,” Glassman said.

A spokesperson for LAUSD said nan territory does not remark connected pending aliases ongoing litigation.

Last month, a 12-year-old woman died days aft collapsing successful nan thoroughfare pursuing a fistfight adjacent a schoolhouse autobus extremity successful her Georgia neighborhood, according to police.

Jada West, a sixth grader, died aft a conflict pinch different student from Mason Creek Middle School collapsed retired astatine an intersection adjacent perceive home.