Buchanan High School focus of recent violence and vandalism
Clovis Police are starting to increase their security efforts surrounding the Buchanan High School community due to four separate incidents involving assault and vandalism in the past month.
Buchanan High School
The most recent crime was reported this past late Friday night in one of the parking lots on the high school campus, which is located next to the cross streets of Minnewawa and Nees Avenues, in the city of Clovis. That crime saw four different tires belonging to varsity football players being slashed.
The players were away for a playoff game versus Tulare Union High School this past Friday, and took a bus down south. The four cars left behind in the parking lot were vandalized. Police indicated that all four vehicles that had their tires slashed had Buchanan varsity football stickers.
A Clovis PD press release also gave details of a Nov. 12 incident involving a teenage 15-year-old boy getting beaten and having his bicycle stolen, while riding along near the campus tennis courts with some of his friends.
“As many as six young men jumped him and began kicking and hitting him before stealing his BMX bike,” the release said.
Another story reported of a Halloween incident around 9 p.m. south of the tennis courts in a field on the campus, which involved three assault victims ages 16-18.
“Six young men began circling the 18-year-old victim. He told officers they kicked and hit him before spraying him, his 16-year-old girlfriend, and their 17-year-old friend with pepper spray while accusing them of being Juggalos” the police release said.
The 18-year-old was taken to the hospital and was treated for injuries. The fourth and final report also referred to another Halloween altercation.
This one came before 10:00 p.m. near Garfield Elementary School, which is next to Buchanan. A 15-year-old was making his trek home on foot all alone before being approached.
“As many as five young men asked a 15-year-old on his way home walking north from Garfield Elementary School if he was a Juggalo. He told them he was not,” the release stated. “Then, one of the suspects punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground. While the suspects ran off, the victim got up and walked toward Buchanan High.”
Officers are beginning to believe that all four incidents are not only gang related, but also may have ties to a gang called the Juggalo gang, who are known for wearing black and white paint on their faces to resemble the hip-hop music group Insane Clown Posse.
Typical Juggalo Makeup
According to a Nov. 2 story from the Los Angeles Times, only four states so far have recognized the Juggalo gang; California, Utah, Arizona and Pennsylvania. But as many as 21 states have recognized criminal Juggalo subsets according to that same report.
Clovis Police officials have confirmed that the victims have no affiliation with a Juggalo gang and that they were wearing Halloween costumes before being assaulted.
The police department is increasing patrols around the campus at night. Anyone with information on the suspects of interest is being urged to call the Clovis Police Department at (559) 324-2800, or Crime Stoppers at (559) 498-STOP.
Read More:
LA Times: Bloods, Crips Juggalos? FBI: Insane Clown Posse fans are gang
abc30: Buchanan High football team’s tires slashed
