High school basketball players and fans attacked several Latino players on an opposing team with tortillas during a game over the weekend in Southern California.
The racist incident unfolded Saturday night at the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) championship tournament between Coronado High School and Orange Glen High School. When Coronado won the game by three points, fans of the predominately white school and some of the players celebrated their win by throwing tortillas at the Orange Glen players, many of whom were Latino.
Several spectators described the attack as pre-planned and being racially motivated.
Coronado’s superintendent released a statement on Sunday, calling the incident “reprehensible.”
“Swift action will be taken to address all those involved, and they will be held accountable. It is our hope to create opportunities to dialogue with the orange glen community in an attempt to repair,” the statement read.
The CIF, which oversees high school basketball, also released a statement slamming the incident. They confirmed that an investigation would soon take place to “determine the appropriate next steps.”
The Coronado school district is planning an emergency board meeting on Tuesday to discuss the incident.
A video of the aftermath of the Coronado Orange Glen championship game clearly shows that players were among the folks who threw tortillas at the Orange Glen players and staff. I’m beyond disappointed. pic.twitter.com/RCIIfEgv4r
— Aaron Burgin (@FullTimeHoops1) June 20, 2021