Student Dies After Fall at Highland Park High School

A male juvenile died after falling from a fourth-floor area at Benjamin Franklin High School in Highland Park on Wednesday, September 30, and the Los Angeles Police Department is investigating the circumstances, police said. The fall was reported at about 1 p.m., and the campus was placed on lockdown as authorities responded. Police said there was no evidence of foul play, but the cause of the fall remained unclear. The victim’s name and exact age had not been publicly released. The Los Angeles Fire Department transported him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to a report citing police and emergency response information. The Los Angeles Unified School District said a medical emergency prompted the lockdown. Under the district’s procedure, gates and doors across the campus were locked while authorities responded. A report later said students were cleared to leave at about 4 p.m.; the available accounts do not establish when the lockdown formally ended. Some students told a local television station that a classroom fight preceded the fall.