A minor was arrested after a knife was pulled during a late-night brawl at West Salem High School

During a fight at West Salem High School on Thursday night, one person pulled out a knife.

A minor was later arrested, but authorities were unable to determine his involvement in the brawl.

The incident occurred in a parking lot following Walker Middle School’s graduation ceremony for eighth-grade graduates, which was held at the high school, Walker Principal Paul Myers said in an email sent to families Thursday evening.

According to Polk County District Attorney Aaron Felton, a minor was arrested and booked into the Yamhill County Juvenile Detention Center.

Felton said he did not want to give out details “as this is an ongoing investigation involving juveniles.”

Myers wrote in his statement that a physical altercation occurred between a group of people in the parking lot.

“It is currently unclear what triggered the incident and is under investigation. At some point, a person pulled out a knife,” he wrote.

The principal said school staff intervened and police responded quickly. “We believe there were no reported injuries at this time,” he wrote.

The incident reports show that the police were called to a fight at the school shortly after 8:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Salem police did not respond to written questions about the incident on Friday.

An emergency dispatcher reported to officers in Salem at the time: “A suspect held a knife to a victim’s throat,” the radio message states.

Aaron Harada, spokesman for the Salem-Keizer School District, said at least one of the people involved was a student, but he had no further information about the incident.

Harada also did not know how many people attended the promotional event, but said there are 189 eighth-graders at Walker Middle School.

Myers wrote in his statement that the school will take increased security measures on Friday, the last day of school of the year, “out of an abundance of caution.”

“We are following our protocols and working with our district safety team to further investigate this situation,” he said.

Myers said anyone with safety concerns should notify police or school administrators or use SafeOregon to file a confidential report by calling or texting 844-472-3367. Tips can also be emailed to (email protected) or submitted through the SafeOregon app.

Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: (email protected) or 503-929-3053.

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Ardeshir Tabrizian has covered criminal justice and housing for the Salem Reporter since September 2021. A native Oregonian, his award-winning watchdog journalism has traversed the state. He has reported for The Oregonian, Eugene Weekly and Malheur Enterprise.