Farida Miguel, who was one of the two girls arrested in the video, told authorities the attack was an accident that was carried out by a rival group and she did not participate in the assault. Miguel said that the video showed her and other female classmates punching girls in the face and then one of the girls pushed her from behind.
In a video interview with the Times, Miguel said she and the other girls acted on impulse, but said she didn’t know where the video came from or where the other two girls who participated in the attack were.
The attack left one girl with a broken nose.
Officials began an investigation after the teen identified the others, and on Thursday police announced charges of robbery and third-degree rape.
“These are good kids doing bad things,” City Schools Superintendent Chris Coleman told reporters.
Officials are still trying to make sense of the attack.
“[The victim] came in without any clothes on and she was attacked by two kids that no one in the neighborhood recognized,” Coleman said.
Coleman added that even though the school has no official policy prohibiting the physical contact of students in classroom, the district also wants to protect children from those that want to cause them hurt.