Initiation turned hazing investigated
Five end up in hospital after touch football game
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The Glenbrook North incident was captured on video.
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Illinois police are investigating an incident that started as a touch football game but which escalated into violence that sent five girls to a hospital. CNN's Whitney Casey reports (May 8)
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NORTHBROOK, Illinois (CNN) -- Authorities Wednesday were investigating what started as a touch football game between high school junior and senior girls but escalated into violence on the younger girls, sending five to a hospital.
Amateur videotape shot at the scene, of what was supposed to be an initiation for Glenbrook North High School junior girls, shows several students huddled together on the ground while others throw objects at them, including large plastic buckets.
One girl walks behind the seated girls and slaps them on the back of the head. Another girl holds up what appears to be an intestine. At least one girl reported having a pig's intestine wrapped around her neck.
Five girls were treated and released at Glenbrook Hospital, spokeswoman Karen Ganz told CNN Wednesday. Ganz declined to describe their injuries because the patients are minors.
"Basically it started out as a fun hazing like our initiation into our senior year," one girl who had been injured said. "About 10 minutes into it, everything changed -- buckets were flying ... people were bleeding. Girls were unconscious."
Dozens of students had come to watch the event and some of them, including male bystanders, joined in.
"When I looked up and I saw blood, I knew that this wasn't right," another girl said. "This is from a paint can being thrown at me," she said, pointing to her shoulder. "Tabasco sauce, vinegar and stuff like that [was put] in my eye."
Witnesses also reported urine, feces and fish guts were thrown, and others said they had been forced to eat mud.
The Cook County sheriff's department and the county's Forest Preserve District police are investigating the incident, which happened on Forest Preserve property near Northbrook.
The high school principal said he was "very sad" about what happened.
Glenbrook North High School is in Northbrook, a suburb north of Chicago, Illinois.
