OCONOMOWOC, WI — A homecoming prank tradition turned violent in Oconomowoc this week when police say a 19-year-old attacked a car full of high school students with a baseball bat, sending at least one to the hospital.
The Oconomowoc Police Department arrested the 19-year-old in connection with the incident. Authorities say the individual is not a student of the Oconomowoc School District. The Waukesha District Attorney's Office is reviewing charges.
The attack happened Monday night during what is known locally as "TP Wars", a tradition in which Oconomowoc High School juniors and seniors opt in to compete to cover each other's trees and property with toilet paper.
Jason LaCombe, whose senior son was driving the car, said he received a call from his son's friend alerting him to the incident.
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"An individual came out who was a resident of the house and started throwing beer bottles at them and then proceeded to grab a bat, an aluminum bat, and hit the car windows out of my son's car," LaCombe said.
The attack left the car with smashed windows and dented doors, causing thousands of dollars in damage. LaCombe's son was taken to the hospital with a face and eye injury.
LaCombe, who has put three kids through the Oconomowoc School District, described TP Wars as a beloved community tradition.
"It's one of those things as a community that a lot of people in the community understand and support," LaCombe said.
But he was clear that what happened Monday night crossed a line.
"That's not right, that's not called for, that's not right, that's a safety issue," LaCombe said.
LaCombe is now calling on local officials to hold the suspect accountable.
"We want to see justice served as a community; enough is enough," LaCombe said.
While TP Wars is not a school-sanctioned activity, Oconomowoc Police say the school resource officer for the high school has urged students to end the activity following Monday's incident.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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