Nine juveniles were arrested Friday evening after a fight between students at a district eighth-grade end-of-season basketball tournament turned into a riot, according to school district and law enforcement officials.

Clark County Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched at about 5:40 p.m. to a report of a disturbance at Gaiser Middle School, 3000 N.E. 99th St. in Hazel Dell, according to a statement from the sheriff’s office.

The statement said a 911 caller reported that a fight had broken out among students who had been attending the tournament and that there was a group of teenagers trying to interfere with and were assaulting school officials who were trying to deal with the situation.

“Three deputies arrived on scene and were immediately met with verbal hostilities from the large group of teenagers, to include racial slurs, cursing, and threats of assault,” the statement said. “As the deputies attempted to address the individual school staff was trying to detain, the group of teenagers (approximately 60-70 or more) began to close in around the deputies. They continued to curse at the deputies and threaten violence against them including death threats.”

Deputies radioed in that they needed immediate cover due to riot conditions, and officers from the sheriff’s office, Washington State Patrol and Vancouver Police Department rushed to the scene.