(KRON) — If you’re a Sonoma Valley High School student who is planning on joining “Fugitive Night,” real police officers will be looking for you with real consequences.
The Sonoma Police Department is urging students against participating in the non-sanctioned hazing event. Police warned that officers will enforce laws against reckless driving, vandalism, and violence.
Rumors are circulating that Sonoma Valley High School students are planning a “Fugitive Night” for Saturday, September 28, police said.
SPD explained, “What is Fugitive Night? This is a non-sanctioned event that has occurred over several years with the freshman class traveling on foot from the Ernie Smith Community Park to the Sonoma Valley High School campus without the senior class catching them along the way. It is organized in secrecy by the student body.”
In past years, seniors wielding paintball guns and airsoft pellet guns have chased freshmen on foot for several blocks.
In 2022, “Fugitive Night” generated more than 40 calls for service to the Sonoma Police Department and the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office. Nearly all of the calls were from community members who were “scared for the safety of youth” who were chased by vehicles and teenagers.
The police department is also warning parents that they are responsible for their child’s actions. If a teen commits a crime, it can affect the student’s ability to get a job or into college, SPD said.
“It is upon each parent to know what your kids are up to and ensure they are safe,” SPD wrote.
Students who participate in “Fugitive Night” usually make bad decisions, police said. “We do not believe that the majority of the student body sets out to cause harm or damage, however, the excitement of the event can lead to some very poor choices by those involved,” the Sonoma Police Department wrote.
(KRON) — If you’re a Sonoma Valley High School student who is planning on joining “Fugitive Night,” real police officers will be looking for you with real consequences. The Sonoma Police Department is urging students against participating in the non-sanctioned hazing event. Police warned that officers will enforce laws against reckless driving, vandalism, and violence. […]
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