AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man faces charges after allegedly fighting with students during a student-led protest against ICE in Buda, Texas.
Chad Michael Watts, 45, was arrested Tuesday and charged with two counts of assault causing bodily harm, the Buda Police Department said in a statement. The investigation is ongoing to determine if additional charges will be filed.
Nexstar’s KXAN obtained video showing the physical confrontation as students at Johnson High School protested recent immigration enforcement actions.
Additional video, viewed by KXAN, shows the man immediately after he got out of his truck, appearing to push students and single out a teenage girl. The two can be seen exchanging punches before the student is pushed to the ground. KXAN is working to verify the video.
Chad Michael Watts, 45 (Buda Police Department photo)
Police made contact with Watts and the girl on Monday. Both reported minor injuries but denied an evaluation by doctors, police said.
“After a thorough investigation, it was determined that Watts was the primary aggressor in the physical altercation,” Buda police said. “Probable cause has been established for two counts of assault with bodily injury, a class A misdemeanor.”
Previous coverage: Fight breaks out at student-led protest on RM 967 in Buda
Buda police say they are looking to speak with anyone who was present during the altercation to better determine what happened.
“We’re trying to get to the original videos and get those from those people who took the videos so we can have a solid case and have that chain of custody for our evidence,” said Matt Schima, public information officer for the Buda Police Department.
“We see that all the time in law enforcement — that videos start at 10 seconds. What happened in the first 10 seconds? It’s very important what happened to the rest of the video,” Schima said. “So I think a lot of the public is really taking the latter part of the situation and making judgments. So what we need to do to have a solid investigation is what started all of this.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Hays County Dispatch at 512-393-7896 or submit an anonymous tip at 1-800-324-8477 or online.
The witnesses speak
Jaden Fox and his wife were driving to the protest at the same time Watts pulled over, they told KXAN. Fox said they saw Watts start “yelling at these kids” and “knew something was escalating.”
Fox and his wife stopped and can be seen in various videos working to separate Watts from the teenagers, then working to defuse the situation afterward.
“In my mind, he’s still very dangerous. I don’t know if he has a gun on him or in the car or what. And I don’t want these kids to get in trouble for doing something potentially more serious than anyone wants,” Fox recounted.
Fox said they were unable to see the students before what caused this altercation.
“People are in comment sections like ‘what was he told’, ‘they kicked his car’, people were throwing things at his car – again I was on the wrong side to be able to see if it actually happened, but none of that justifies parking your car in the middle of an intersection to get out and fight teenagers,” Fox said.
Chronology of the incident
Just after 3 p.m. Monday, Buda Police responded to the intersection of RM 967 and FM 1626, which is just minutes from Johnson High School. Police said a young woman on the sidewalk and an adult man in a car were arguing. The man is not an employee or teacher in the school district, officials confirmed.
“What we’re being told now is a verbal altercation between both parties at the same time at a stoplight,” Schima said. “And then the altercation continued, he got out of the vehicle and that’s when it got physical.”
Schima says they knew about the student protest and had officers there to keep the peace, but an hour and a half after students left classes, officers at the intersection left to respond to a 911 call at a nearby Sonic.
Responding within minutes to several 911 calls about a fight in progress, Schima said when officers returned, the suspect had already left in his truck.
The scheme says the department will have a greater police presence at any future student protests.
Leaders respond
In response to the situation, Judge Becerra said in a press release that an adult should have a “clear responsibility to exercise restraint, particularly in the presence of children.” He added that “violence or intimidation directed against a minor … has no place in a constitutional republic that depends on the rule of law rather than force.”
Buda Mayor Lee Urbanovsky acknowledged the incident in a Facebook post, saying Buda police had contacted the man involved in the fight and received a statement from him. The message said police are also working with the Hays Consolidated Independent School District to collect witness statements and video evidence from students at the scene.
“This is a sensitive and emotionally charged issue involving minors that has deeply affected and rightfully concerned our community,” Urbanovsky said. “I urge the community to be patient and allow the Buda Police Department to complete their investigation.”
MORE: Texas governor calls for investigation into student-led protests against ICE
A Hays CISD spokesperson told KXAN that at least 500 students participated in the walkout on Monday. The spokesperson said the district did not organize, assist or approve the activity.
In a letter sent to parents Tuesday afternoon, Superintendent Eric Wright said campuses must return their focus to learning, instruction and the business of being in school.
“Staying in the classroom is the best place for students to become educated so they can affect policy changes that they believe are in the best interest of society,” Wright said.
Going forward, Wright said “future exodus cannot happen” and that the withdrawals are “a strain on the resources of the school district and community law enforcement agencies.”
State Rep. Erin Zwiener, a Democrat who represents the area, said students have a constitutionally protected right to free speech and peaceful protest after both Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and Attorney General Ken Paxton launched investigations into separate student walkouts in Austin ISD.
“Teachers are not allowed to suspend students in school and cannot target them for discipline based on their political speech,” Zwiener said in a statement Tuesday. “Governor Abbott’s threats to schools make protests less safe for students and more disruptive for Texas communities.”
Teacher placed on administrative leave
A Hays CISD teacher has been placed on administrative leave and will not return to campus after a photo was discovered of him displaying a profanity-laced protest sign while on campus. The district did not name the teacher or where they taught.
“The school district belongs to everyone and we, as an entity or as employees, do not use taxpayer time and resources to engage in political activity,” the letter said.
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