Teens charged after school fight, officer assaulted

WARREN — Three suspects are facing charges after a fight on the grounds of Lincoln High School April 22.

On April 23, Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido’s office issued a press release announcing the charges against a 17-year-old Eastpointe youth, charged as a minor, and Danasia Kennedy-Johnson and Xavier Tayvione-Demarr Jones, both 18, charged as adults.

According to the press release, Kennedy-Johnson and Jones were on the school grounds at Lincoln Monday with the intention of fighting a student on the bus. Two Warren police officers reportedly attempted to arrest Jones, and when he resisted, all the officers and Jones fell to the ground.

“The officers were struggling to bring Jones under control when the 17-year-old juvenile and Kennedy-Johnson assaulted (an) officer,” the press release states. “The officer was admitted to the hospital in serious condition.”

The press release did not reveal what type of injuries the officer sustained.

Kennedy-Johnson, of Eastpointe, was charged with assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder, a 10-year felony; assaulting/resisting/obstructing a police officer causing injury, a four-year felony; malicious destruction of property $200 or more but less than $1,000, one-year misdemeanor; and disorderly person, a 90-day misdemeanor.

Kennedy-Johnson was arraigned April 24 in Warren’s 37th District Court where Chief Judge John Chmura set bond at $200,000 cash or surety.

Jones, of Warren, was charged with three counts of assaulting/resisting/obstructing a police officer and disorderly person. On April 24, Chmura set bond for him at $75,000 cash or surety.

If Jones and Kennedy-Johnson are released, they both must wear a GPS tether, and have no contact with any co-defendants, witnesses in the case or Lincoln High School.

No defense attorney was listed in court records for either Kennedy-Johnson or Jones.

The 17-year-old suspect was charged with assaulting/resisting/obstructing a police officer causing injury; two counts of assaulting/resisting/obstructing a police officer; malicious destruction of property $200 or more but less than $1,000; and disturbing the peace.

On April 23, a preliminary hearing was conducted in juvenile court where Chief Juvenile Referee Linda Harrison granted the prosecutor’s request to deny bond and hold the teenager in the Macomb County Juvenile Justice Center.

“These teens have not only endangered the life of a dedicated officer who risks everything to safeguard our communities but have also shown a blatant disregard for the law,” Lucido said in a statement. “Such unacceptable behavior will be met with the full force of justice, as we ensure that those responsible are held accountable.”

The incident happened at about 2:50 p.m., 25 minutes after the school’s dismissal. It’s unclear what led up to the altercation.

Van Dyke Public Schools Superintendent Piper Bognar said that a group of adults came to the school and tried to get on a school bus occupied by Lincoln’s girls softball team at the time.

“No entry was gained into the high school or on the bus,” Bognar said. “All of our safety precautions were in place. Our administrators came out to defuse the situation. It’s disgusting that these adults came back to our school and an officer who protects our kids was injured.”

Bognar said that one of the male suspects may be a student at the high school, but two of the suspects do not attend Lincoln High School.

“The rest of the group was not part of the school community. It was not a Lincoln High School fight,” Bognar said. “This isn’t who we are. We’re really pulling for the female officer and hope she feels better.”