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By Khaleda Rahman and Jasmine Laws
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A man has been charged over a fight with a girl during a student walkout in Texas in protest over U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Chad Michael Watts, 45, of Kyle, Texas, was arrested on Tuesday on two counts of assault causing bodily injury, the Buda Police Department said.
Videos of the altercation circulated widely on social media, showing a man with a "Make America Great Again" hat attacking a girl before retreating to a vehicle.
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A spokesperson for the Buda Police Department confirmed to Newsweek that the man in the videos was Watts and that he was wearing a MAGA hat.
Newsweek contacted Governor Greg Abbott's office for comment via email.
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Why It Matters
In recent days, students have held walkouts across Texas and the country to protest immigration enforcement tactics.
They come amid ongoing tensions over the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, which have intensified since the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by federal agents in Minneapolis last month. Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse, was fatally shot by Border Patrol officers on January 24, just weeks after the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent.
Allegations of misconduct and excessive use of force have been raised against ICE by celebrities and political figures, while many MAGA supporters have defended the agency's actions, with some deeming the shootings as "justified."
What To Know
Video footage obtained by CBS Austin and the Austin American-Statesman shows a man - identified by police as Watts - in a physical altercation with a student.
He is seen pushing and shoving the girl, who appears to be holding a sign. As they move down a slope, the girl appears to fall over and Watts appears to to lunge at her. Other students are then seen trying to pull him off her, and one person appears to jump on his back and bring him to his knees. Other students are seen yelling and throwing things at him as he walks back to his vehicle.
The Buda Police Department said they were notified by a Hays County Sheriff's Office school resource officer at around 1.30 p.m. on Monday that students from Moe & Gene Johnson High School in Buda were staging a walkout protest on RM 967.
Officers from multiple agencies responded "to provide safety and security for pedestrians and motorists," the department said.
Police officers were dispatched to the intersection of RM 967 and FM 1626 after being alerted to a verbal argument between a female juvenile and adult male. “The argument escalated into a physical altercation involving multiple people," police said.
The man left before officers arrived on the scene, but was later located and interviewed, police said. Both parties reported minor injuries and declined medical evaluation.
Watts was arrested on Tuesday after further investigation determined he was "the primary aggressor in the physical altercation," police said.
What People Are Saying
Buda Mayor Lee Urbanovsky said in a statement: "Yesterday afternoon, a group of students from Johnson High School and other area schools gathered to express concerns related to federal immigration enforcement activity. Buda Police, along with other area law enforcement agencies, were present to provide oversight and help address public safety concerns as the situation developed. During the gathering, students and an adult male became involved in a physical altercation. Videos of the incident are circulating on social media, along with a range of opinions and claims.
"Buda Police has identified and collected a statement from the adult male involved in the altercation and is actively working with the school district to collect witness statements and video evidence from students that were present. This is an emotionally-charged and sensitive issue involving minors that has deeply impacted and rightfully concerned our community. I am urging the community to exercise patience and allow the Buda Police Department to complete their investigation."
Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra said in a statement: "No matter one's political views, an adult bears a clear responsibility to exercise restraint, especially in the presence of children. Violence or intimidation directed at a minor—particularly during a lawful, peaceful demonstration—has no place in a constitutional republic that depends on the rule of law rather than force."
Becerra added: "I will not be silent when children exercising their constitutional rights are placed at risk. Our duty as a community is to protect the vulnerable and to uphold the foundational freedoms of speech and peaceful assembly that belong to all residents, regardless of viewpoint."
The Hays Consolidated Independent School District said in a statement on Monday: "Students from Hays CISD campuses staged protests by walking out of classes and their respective school buildings.
"These protests were not condoned by the district, nor did the district enable the behavior. The district must recognize the right of students who did not protest to have disruption-free environments and protected classroom instruction time. Students who chose to participate in the walkouts did so on their own accord and classes continued for students who did not participate."
It added: "Though the district takes a strong stance on the integrity of the instructional day, it is not void of understanding the current climate in the country and can respect that some students may feel compelled to exercise their constitutional rights to free speech and expression."
Republican Governor Greg Abbott wrote on X on Tuesday, alongside a report of two juveniles being arrested during a separate walkout after officers reportedly observed a minor in possession of alcohol, that "it's about time students like this were arrested."
He added: "Harming someone is a crime - even for students. Disruptive walkouts allowed by schools lead to just this kind of chaos. Schools and staff who allow this behavior should be treated as co-conspirators and should not be immune for criminal behavior. We are also looking into stripping the funding of schools that abandon their duty to teach our kids the curriculum required by law."
Texas State Representative Erin Zwiener, a Democrat, said in a statement on Tuesday that Abbott was "conveniently ignoring the most troubling incident that happened in Hays yesterday: A grown man pulled over adjacent to a small group of student protesters from Johnson High School and assaulted a teenage girl."
She added: "Instead of calling for justice against the grown man that assaulted a girl, Governor Abbott is celebrating the arrest of students, calling for the criminal investigation of schools and teachers. He is also threatening the funding of our school districts and spreading the lie that schools are inciting our kids to protest… Students have a constitutionally protected right to free speech and peaceful protest. Teachers are not allowed to lock students in the school and cannot target them for discipline based on their political speech. Governor Abbott's threats to schools are only making protests less safe for students and more disruptive for Texas communities."
What Happens Next
The Buda Police Department and the Hays County District Attorney's Office are continuing to investigate the incident to determine if additional charges will be filed.
The police department has urged anyone with evidence, witness statements or relevant information to contact Hays County Dispatch at (512) 393-7896 or do so anonymously through Hays County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-324-TIPS (8477).
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