Female student, 17, is 'sexually assaulted by teen boys in bathroom of Hamilton High in Los Angeles'

Female student, 17, is 'sexually assaulted by teenage boys in bathroom of Hamilton High School in Los Angeles' in attack that was filmed and circulated on social media

The victim reported the assault to school administrators last week, police say
At least one student had sexual contact with her while another recorded it
Police say the investigation is in its early phase and no arrests have been made
Last week, a gun fell out of a students' waistband during a fight at Hamilton High
The LA school district slashed $25 million from the school police budget in 2020

Published: 14:43 BST, 27 October 2021 | Updated: 15:27 BST, 27 October 2021

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A 17-year-old female student was allegedly sexually assaulted by a group of male students in the bathroom of a Los Angeles high school while another student recorded it and the vile attack was posted to social media.

The incident took place last Wednesday in a boys' restroom near the basketball gym at Hamilton High School in the Westside area of the city, police said.

Authorities say multiple boys were involved and at least one had sexual contact with her while another one filmed, with the video now making the rounds on social media.

No arrests had been made as of Wednesday morning while the school district and police department investigate.

Last year, the Los Angeles Board of Education slashed $25 million from its school police budget despite warnings from some board members, who had previously been school principals, about the need for police during violent incidents.

A 17-year-old female student was allegedly sexually assaulted by a group of boys in a bathroom at Hamilton High School in Los Angeles last Wednesday

'I feel scared,' a female student told KTTA. 'My mom can attest to this, I was telling my mom for a while now that there are points when I feel unsafe on campus and this happening last week just proved it.'

Her mother added: 'I'm in a terrible position of telling my daughter that it is safe to go to school. This is our school. We've been here many, many years. This is not my first daughter in this school.'

Last month, video surfaced of a fight between two students in which a gun appears to fly out of a student's waistband.

LA Police Det. Brent Hopkins says the unnamed sexual assault victim reported the incident, which happened last Wednesday, to school administrators.

KTTA says the victim is 17 years old.

'There was one female student and a group of males in the bathroom. It is not clear how many were involved, but one had sexual contact with her,' Hopkins told the Los Angeles Times.

Part of the incident was recorded by a student and is now circulating on social media.

'We have received a copy of that,' said Hopkins, adding that detectives are working to stop the video from circulating.

'The school has been very helpful and is working with us.'

The LAPD told DailyMail.com that the investigation is in its early stages.

In a statement, the district added: 'The school administration immediately and proactively began coordinating with the Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles Unified School Police to investigate the issue.

'Our school crisis team was also activated and students were given an opportunity to speak to counselors about their concerns. At this point, this situation is an ongoing police investigation.'

Hamilton High School has a 6/10 rating on GreatSchools. Last month, video circulated of a fight outside the school that ended with a handgun falling out of a student's waistband

LA County District Attorney George Gascón, above at his virtual swearing-in ceremony in December, has been criticized for taking a lenient approach to juvenile crimes

The LA Times reports that the school district is typically mum on issues of campus crimes and only releases more details when a situation becomes public.

On September 30, KTTA published footage of a fight outside of Hamilton High.

The 19-second clip shows two students, whose faces are blurred, punching each other.

A third student joins the fight in a different location. What appears to be a gun falls to the ground.

Hamilton High has special programs and magnets focused on business and technology, performing arts, humanities and 'advanced studies' for gifted students.

The school is rated six out of 10 by school rating website GreatSchools.

The Los Angeles Police Department did not immediately respond to questions from DailyMail.com about last month's fight or Wednesday's alleged sexual assault.

Though it's not clear what punishment the students involved in Wednesday's assault will face, defense attorney Dimitry Gorin told KTTA that LA County District Attorney George Gascón has so far taken a lenient approach to juvenile crimes.

The LA school board voted for an immediate 35 percent cut to its school police force in June 2020, amid widespread Black Lives Matter protests following the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

'LA Unified has to continue to be a leader in showing what can happen when we believe in self-determination, when we empower communities to help this organization transform itself,' said board member Monica Garcia, who spearheaded the effort.

She added a last-minute amendment that would prevent the district form contracting with a private company or with the city or county police for more reinforcement.

About 65 officers were expected to lose their jobs, according to the LA Times.