The incident happened at South Pasadena Middle School around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday. The clip shows the custodian and a teenage skateboarder who appears to be of high school age or older. After the two of them shove and push each other, and the janitor slaps the teen, the two keep going at it.
The call initially came into police saying the custodian was being attacked by a few teens, but police say the video appears to paint a different picture.
"It appears that the custodian is the aggressor. However, we haven't had a chance to re-interview the custodian, and we haven't had the opportunity to speak to the juveniles that were involved in this," said Corp. Matthew Ronnie with the South Pasadena Police Department.
South Pasadena Middle School Principal David Kubela says though he hasn't seen the video yet, he believes the custodian was just concerned about protecting students.
"From his perspective, he went to ask students to leave the campus, they became belligerent, there were words exchanged, punches thrown, and at the very end of it, he ended up on the ground getting his head hit on the cement," said Kubela.
The custodian was treated and released from the hospital Tuesday.
"He seems to be in good spirits. He does have facial injuries, a broken nose, a broken cheekbone, a swollen eye," said Kubela.
After the fight, the teens took off. Police say they are now looking at them as witnesses and a possible victim, rather than assault suspects.
Police have talked to a lot of witnesses, but they still haven't found the teens. Investigators say they plan to talk to the custodian again.
