California High School Football Coach Shot Attempting to Break up a Fight Outside Campus
VALLEJO, California – An assistant football coach at Vallejo High School was shot Tuesday afternoon after breaking up a fight outside campus, police said.
The coach, Joseph Pastrana, defensive coordinator for the football team, was struck by at least one bullet and suffered a non-life-threatening injury, authorities said. He was taken to a local hospital.
According to the Vallejo Police Department, officers responded to the area just before 4 p.m. and determined that several students had been fighting with an unknown group when a staff member intervened and broke up the squabble.
“Some of the involved subjects fled the area in a dark-colored sedan while shooting back towards the remaining group,” the police department said in a news release.
Vallejo City Unified School District said the fight between students and “unknown males” happened at around 3:40 p.m. The district said three young men fled the area.
Authorities said the school was placed on lockdown, but it was later lifted after the area was rendered safe.
At the time of the altercation and shooting, there was a college fair and three classes in session. There were also 200 student-athletes on campus.
