Five young men charged for alleged roles in fight at Riley-Washington boys basketball game

SOUTH BEND — Five young men accused of having been involved in a fight that broke out during the South Bend Riley versus South Bend Washington boys high school basketball game earlier this month now face criminal charges.

The fight that began at halftime of the game at Washington High School on Feb. 2 caused the game to be cancelled and required every South Bend police officer on duty that night to assist in breaking up the brawl.

On Tuesday, South Bend police announced five people have been charged in connection to the fight and that warrants have been put out for the individuals to be arrested. Court documents allege the five people charged are associated with the Westside gang and began fighting a teen who associates with a rival gang.

Those charged are: 18-year-old Keeion Mahone, 18-year-old Tisean Overstreet, 20-year-old Destefano Richardson, 18-year-old Isaiah Redding and 19-year-old Jamarion Watson. Watson is charged with disorderly conduct, while the other four are charged with disorderly conduct as well as battery, both misdemeanor offenses.

'Fan' brawl:South Bend Washington, high school basketball deserved more than a fight

Officials also say they have identified two juveniles involved in the fight, though they have not been charged in probate court as of Tuesday afternoon.

Disorderly conduct and battery are both Class B Misdemeanors under Indiana law and carry a maximum of six months in jail.

Video from the Indiana High School Athletic Association live feed captured the brawl that took several minutes to get under control. At that point, the Senior Night contest was cancelled for the night and the gymnasium cleared.

There were no serious injuries reported or arrests made in the immediate aftermath of the fight. Last week, the South Bend school district announced it would not reschedule the game — which was Washington's Senior Night and had college scouts in attendance.

“Our investigation surrounding who and what prompted this fight began immediately after the incident, as this not only created a significant safety risk for everyone in attendance that night, but it ruined a very special evening for our local athletes and students,” said South Bend Police Chief Scott Ruszkowski in a written statement on Tuesday.

Brawl erupts

According to court documents filed Friday, the five people facing charges are all associated with a gang on the west side of the city. The documents say that South Bend police officer Jalen Lee, who serves as the Student Resource Officer at Washington High School, clocked the group as they came into the gym and "alerted the administration and security staff to be on high alert due to these individuals being present and having known associations with the Westside gang."

At halftime, the group moved down from the bleachers to the floor of the gymnasium and approached a 17-year-old, who court documents say is associated with a separate gang on the Southeast side of the city.

Court documents allege Mahone threw the first punch at the 17-year-old, sparking a series of fights between numerous people across the gym. Court documents say Overstreet attempted to kick the 17-year-old when he fell to the ground, while Richardson and Redding were allegedly engaged in fighting another group of people.

Officer Lee writes in the documents that he identified all of the individuals involved from video footage and prior experiences, except Overstreet, who was identified by a juvenile probation supervisor.

Fallout from fight

No one was arrested at the time due to logistical concerns with clearing the gym, but warrants have now been issued for the five adults involved. Officials say they are working on filing charges in probate, or juvenile court, against two other minors involved.

The game was postponed as police cleared the scene at Washington. That night and the next day, coaches and administrators put out statements regarding the fighting.

"To those individuals who incited violence: Do better. Your actions not only endangered our students and families but canceled a competition that our student-athletes, coaches, and high school community had worked hard to celebrate," said South Bend superintendent Todd Cummings in a statement on Feb. 3.

Washington head coach Ryan Varga expressed on his Facebook page shortly after the incident that the fight robbed his seniors of their special night.

"The city of South Bend lost tonight," Varga wrote. "... This had nothing to do with Riley High School or Washington High School. Nothing to do with both administrations or police controlling the environment...What this was, was immaturity. It was non-students bringing drama to an environment that had nothing to do with it."

Last week, district administrators announced the game will not be made up, citing scheduling issues as the high school basketball season comes to a close.

Tribune reporter Justin Frommer contributed to this article.

Email Marek Mazurek at mmazurek@sbtinfo.com. Follow him on Twitter: @marek_mazurek

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Criminal charges follow fight at Riley vs Washington basketball game