Five arrested after player is assaulted during basketball game at Robbinsdale Cooper High School

Authorities say five people were arrested Tuesday night after a high school basketball player was assaulted during a game in the Twin Cities.

It happened just after 7 p.m. at Robbinsdale Cooper High School, during a game against Fridley. Authorities said several people entered the gym and used a pipe to assault a 17-year-old Fridley player on the bench.

In a letter to Robbinsdale Cooper families and staff, Robbinsdale Area Schools assistant superintendent Marti Voight wrote that school resource officers were at the game and “took immediate action, and the coaches quickly moved student-athletes to safety. The gym was placed on lockdown, and spectators remained inside until it was lifted.”

The suspects fled, and New Hope police said five people — three adults, two juveniles — were arrested following a short vehicle pursuit.

There was no immediate update on the condition of the victim.

New Hope police said the incident was not random but remains under investigation. Robbinsdale school officials said the suspects were not students at Robbinsdale Cooper, or in the Robbinsdale district.

“We are grateful for the swift actions of our SROs, coaches, athletic director, and support staff, who did an outstanding job keeping everyone calm during the situation,” Voight wrote in the district’s letter to families and staff.

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