Four arrested after fights at school

Four students were arrested Monday after two separate but related fights at Jacobs High School, Algonquin police said.

The first incident occurred around 7:25 a.m., when a 17-year-old boy, Dowayne C. Beckford, and a 17-year-old girl, Karen I. Ibarra, got into a fight, police said.

The fight was sparked by an incident on Friday in which students from another school came to Jacobs and shouted "gang slurs" at Jacobs students, police said.

Beckford and Ibarra have not been identified as gang members, police said.

Jacobs' school resource officer separated the two students and arrested them. They were charged with aggravated battery and taken to the McHenry County jail.

Police said they believe a second fight at around 11:05 a.m. was related to the initial distrubance.

Two female students, 18-year-old Taylor A. Cruz and 18-year-old Yasmeen N. Akel, were separated and arrested.

Akel was charged with aggravated battery, resisting a peace officer and disorderly conduct and was taken to McHenry County jail.

Cruz was released after being charged with disorderly conduct.