Trash talk often occurs on the court and face-to-face, but on Tuesday night, a brawl broke out that was not only off the court, but also fueled by Twitter.
Following the basketball game between Haverhill and Methuen High, about 200 students were involved in a brawl that ended in seven arrests, according to the Eagle Tribune.
The animosity between the schools can be traced back to Saturday’s hockey game, when students were involved in some sort of altercation. Following the game and leading up to Tuesday’s matchup, a war of words erupted on Twitter.
Students from both schools sent insults to each other as hundreds of tweets were exchanged. The basketball game on Tuesday between the rivals was then viewed as a probable second round after Saturday’s fight.
The Haverhill High School resource officer was informed of what happened at the hockey game and was prepared for Tuesday night by assigning several extra officers to the game. The additional officers turned out to be a necessity, as after the game students met in the parking lot behind the school, and multiple fights broke out.
“The officer reported that about 200 kids were out of control,” Haverhill Police Lt. Robert Pistone said. “Several groups were fighting throughout the crowd.”
Backup had to be called, as the officers were outnumbered, but eventually the situation was controlled. Five students from Methuen were arrested along with two from Haverhill.
The fighting may have been stopped, but the nasty exchanges on Twitter have continued. Students from both schools were back at their computers after the ordeal.
Photo via Facebook/Haverhill High School
