High School Aide Nearly Run Over

A campus aide at Ventura High School had a close call Friday when he tried to break up what he thought was a few students smoking pot in a parked car and was almost run down.

The aide, an adult school employee whose name was not released by police, approached the car about noon in the high school’s upper lot adjacent to Poli Street, a Ventura police spokesman said.

As the aide neared, the driver started the car up and tried to drive away. But the aide blocked his way, the police spokesman said.

With the aide still in front of the car, a brown late-model Volvo, the two passengers yelled, “Run him over,� police said. The driver revved the engine and sped forward, hitting the aide and knocking him over the hood of the car.

Police were called to the school and arrested one of the youths, charging him with assault with a deadly weapon. Officers said the other youths had been identified and that more arrests were likely. The aide sustained cuts and bruises on his right hand and leg, and sought treatment from his doctor, police said.