Man arrested after assaulting girl during high school protest against ICE. [View all]

Last edited Wed Feb 4, 2026, 08:40 AM - Edit history (1)

A 45-year-old man has been arrested after a student protest in Buda on Monday escalated into a violent confrontation.Buda police identified 45-year-old Chad Michael Watts of Kyle as the primary aggressor in a fight with a minor during a walkout by hundreds of Hays CISD students on Monday, protesting immigration and law enforcement operations. Watts faces two counts of assault causing bodily injury. Both Watts and the girl involved reported minor injuries but declined medical evaluation.


A video obtained by CBS Austin, taken by a student at Moe and Gene Johnson High School, shows Watts outside his pickup truck, physically confronting a student. Then, you see students shouting and throwing objects as Watts walked toward his truck.Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra described the incident as a stark reminder of the power imbalance between adults and minors.

Link to tweet

“A full-grown adult on a young high school girl is a lot of power to overthrow, and so it took enough people around finally to get him off of her, and ultimately he went back into his truck and took off,” Becerra said.

https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/kyle-man-arrested-after-altercation-with-minors-during-student-protest-in-buda


Full video here, including the part CBS cut out, showing Chad Michael Watts instigating the altercation by pushing down, then wrestling, a young girl:

Link to tweet

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