Whataburger won't seek charges against food fight culprits

San Antonio – Videos and photos of a food fight at a Whataburger on San Antonio's Northwest Side between O'Connor and Brandeis high school students after a football game Saturday won't result in criminal complaints, a corporate spokesman said Monday.

The incident drew national attention after the images went viral online.

“Clearly the rivalry between select students from these two high schools got out of hand, resulting in a 30-second food fight that required our team to close the dining area for 30 minutes to clean up the mess left behind,” the company said in a statement.

Brandeis had defeated O'Connor 12-10 at Northside Independent School District's Farris Stadium and students from the rival schools encountered each other over burgers and soft drinks at the Whataburger at Bandera Road and Loop 1604.

It's unclear who started it, but Northside spokesman Pascual Gonzalez said an initial review showed it couldn't have been football players or dance team or band members, because they were still leaving the stadium.

More Information Instagram video of food fight

He said it was most likely students who were spectators at the closely fought game and who hadn't signed a code of conduct as strict as those more directly involved in a varsity athletic event.

“It's still terribly embarrassing and certainly not behavior expected of our high school students,” Gonzalez said.

The videos generated stormy debate over the students' actions on Twitter and Facebook, but the clips posted to social media aren't strong enough evidence to discipline anyone, he said. Those caught instigating or participating on Whataburger's security cameras are more likely to face consequences if the company provides the footage to the district, he said.

But Whataburger officials said they don't plan to press charges, noting principals at both high schools apologized, as did several Northside students who have visited the restaurant to express regrets.

“We understand that this act was an emotional moment between a small group of students and not representative of the entire student population,” a company spokesman said in an email. “The Whataburger team will continue to welcome Brandeis and O'Connor students at our restaurants and we're also committed to continuing the partnership and support of both high schools.”

The incident was featured on CNN and Headline News early Monday. Ed Garza, president of the San Antonio ISD board and former mayor, posted a photo of the food fight aftermath to his Facebook account, calling it an “unfortunate display” and one that left him “speechless.”

Northside board President Bobby Blount said it's a teachable moment, especially in how social media can broadcast such behavior.

“It shouldn't matter whether we have social media or not to capture this, because students should remember who or what they represent when they act in public or even private — or what's left of that nowadays,” Blount said.

fvara-orta@express-news.net

Twitter: @fvaraorta