LOS ANGELES (AP) – Fourteen teenagers are under investigation for alleged sexual assault against two underage victims at a Los Angeles high school.
Police Cmdr. Andrew Smith says eight students were arrested at Venice High School on Friday. A ninth suspect was arrested at another location, and police are continuing to search for the remaining five teenagers believed to be involved.
According to Smith, the male suspects engaged in a series of sexual assaults against two victims on and off campus, starting in 2013. He says most of the suspects knew the victims and that there was physical evidence of the assaults, though he declined to say what.
No further details were immediately released.
Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Ramon Cortines called the arrests “a painful moment” for the school.