May 26--What started off as a high school prank landed a 16-year-old boy in handcuffs Thursday, after he videotaped himself speeding through a crowded Santa Clarita school campus on his dirt bike.
The first-person video shows a red Honda CR250 revving its engine as it zooms onto Hart High School about 11:40 a.m. Wednesday, passing security guards, a chain-link fence and crowds of students.
All the while, the rider yells out to students: "Watch out! Watch out!"
"They literally had to jump out of the way as he raced through campus," said Shirley Miller, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Santa Clarita station.
The boy thought the clever video would impress his friends, he told KABC-TV. Instead, the prank drew the ire of school district officials and local law enforcement.
"Going in, I didn't think I was going to get in trouble, but now I'm definitely probably going to get in trouble," the boy told the news station on Wednesday.
Sheriff's deputies arrested the boy Thursday morning on suspicion of reckless driving, hit-and-run with injuries, disturbance on a school campus and driving without a license, Miller said. His name was not released because he is a juvenile.
During the stunt, the boy ran over a student's foot and caused minor injuries, she said.
The boy, who lives in Santa Clarita, is not enrolled at Hart High School, Miller said.
William S. Hart Union High School District officials offered a stern reminder to students who were considering engaging in senior pranks before the school year ends. Similar stunts could hamper a student's ability to participate in graduation ceremonies, district officials said.
"We also want to remind students that whenever a small group imagines a 'harmless little prank,'' unintended consequences often happen," the district said. "Senior pranks sometimes get out of hand and cost the district valuable resources."
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