Police find no evidence that girl in back pack incident was bullied

Seattle police and school-district officials said Wednesday they have nothing to validate recent bullying and sexual-harassment claims made by a 12-year-old Denny Middle School girl, who could face felony assault charges for allegedly knocking a boy unconscious with a backpack earlier this week.

The girl involved had not previously communicated to the school or the school district that she had been bullied or harassed, said Seattle Public Schools spokesman David Tucker.

School principal Jeff Clark also sent a letter to parents Wednesday, which in part stated "some media reports regarding this incident are not consistent with the facts as we currently understand them to be."

Neither the girl nor her family could be reached for comment Wednesday.

Police interviewed the girl Monday, after she allegedly struck a 12-year-old classmate in the head twice with the backpack at the Southwest Community Center's playfield.

Based on witness accounts, police say, the girl had argued with the boy, whom she'd been dating, because he liked someone else.

The police report says that after the girl reportedly struck the boy, he fell to the ground and lost consciousness. The boy was taken to Harborview Medical Center, treated and released.

Investigators interviewed at least five children who witnessed the incident. They told officers that after the girl had argued with the boy, she left and then returned with her backpack full of rocks, according to police.

She told an officer she "accidentally" hit the boy with her backpack but denied she had filled it with rocks, the report states. She also disputed witness versions of the incident.

On Tuesday, the girl and her mother said in a television interview that she had been relentlessly bullied and harassed by boys at the school. The girl claims she struck the boy in retaliation for such harassment, but denied that her backpack contained rocks.

Police spokesman Mark Jamieson said Wednesday investigators have nothing to lead them to believe bullying or harassment led to the assault, nor did the girl say anything about such harassment when interviewed by officers. Jamieson noted that the case is still being investigated.

A report by KING-TV said other girls and parents have complained of bullying and harassment to school officials. The report cited an e-mail sent to school officials in February by a parent.

District spokesman Tucker said that parent has made complaints of bullying by girls and boys, but her complaint appears unrelated to Monday's incident.