Here is today’s math quiz: How many punches does it take to get arrested at your own graduation ceremony?
Lots, as illustrated by a group of California high school students who could not quite make it to the stage at the own graduation ceremony without facing charges for a fight that broke out during the event as a stadium of friends and families watched.
Five people were arrested during a graduation ceremony for Kings Canyon Adult School and Mountain View School, according to the Fresno Bee.
The schools provide alternative schooling options in the Kings Canyon Unified School District.
Adam Velasquez, 19; Jonathan Melena Garcia, 19; Nicholas Perez, 18; and Andrew Velasquez, 20; were charged with disturbing the peace.
Mariano Melena Garcia, 22, was charged with obstructing a police officer.
Five people have been arrested after a fight broke out Tuesday night at a graduation ceremony in Reedley.
An ABC30 insider shared video showing several punches thrown last night at the Reedley High School Stadium. https://t.co/EI6Lml5M8F pic.twitter.com/XUyfgyK4as
— ABC30 Fresno (@ABC30) June 4, 2026
Video posted to X shows a line of graduates waiting in line for their names to be called.
Two people in the line began punching each other. After the first flurry of punches, a brief moment of calm was disrupted by more fighting.
The pushing and shoving included adults as well as students.
“The whole point of graduating high school is to learn to become a better person as well,” said Luis Tapia of Parlier said, according to KFSN-TV.
“I think they should’ve done better. They should’ve known.”
Family members of Adam Velasquez said he was in line when a graduate began trash talking a brother of Velasquez who had died, sparking the initial fight.
“You got to respect everybody here. It’s a family event. Whatever issues you have, whatever is going on leave it at the door,” Curtis Wood, an Orange Cove resident and parent said.
The school sought to accentuate the positive.
“Despite this incident, the focus of the evening remained on celebrating our graduates and their accomplishments. Thanks to the security measures in place and the quick response from Reedley Police, district staff, and site administrators, the situation was resolved promptly and the graduation ceremony continued with minimal disruption,” a statement said.
School officials noted that although the ceremony was held at the Reedley High School football stadium, the ceremony was not connected with the school, the Bee reported.
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