El Cerrito police are investigating allegations that members of the high school football team subjected teammates to bullying and hazing, including sexual battery and assault, in incidents detectives say unfolded over a two-year span. The West Contra Costa Unified School District has suspended the Gauchos' football program and placed the team's head coach on leave while the investigation continues.
The case began on October 2, 2026, when the El Cerrito Police Department received a report from a mandated reporter alleging that football team members were engaging in bullying and hazing, according to contracosta.news. After interviews with victims, school staff and witnesses, detectives determined that the reported incidents occurred between September 2024 and October 2026, the outlet reported.
Investigators said the alleged assailants were other members of the Gauchos football team, according to KRON4. Detectives said they obtained video evidence that corroborated victims' accounts and provided additional evidence supporting the reported conduct, per the same contracosta.news account.
What Detectives Are Investigating
Detectives told contracosta.news they are investigating allegations of battery, sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, dissuading a victim, conspiracy, and stalking. To date, the outlet's report states, detectives have identified 22 individuals suspected of involvement in the incidents occurring over the two-year period; KRON4 reported that both the El Cerrito Police Department and the school district identified current and former students among those suspected.
The Police Department anticipates making multiple arrests as the investigation progresses, per the same account. Police said they would not release additional details at this time to protect privacy and preserve the integrity of the investigation, and KRON4 reported that the department specifically cited the ages of victims and suspects in declining to share more.
District Suspends the Football Program
West Contra Costa Unified School District suspended the El Cerrito High School football program, KRON4 reported. WCCUSD Superintendent Cheryl Cotton said no child should ever experience what students have described, and said new information prompted the district to immediately suspend the program to prevent further harm and restore a safe learning environment, according to KRON4's reporting. The district also placed the team's head coach on leave as part of the ongoing investigation.
WCCUSD is conducting its own investigation through the Title IX process, running parallel to the police probe, per contracosta.news. The district also said it will implement anti-hazing and bystander education across district classrooms, according to KRON4. El Cerrito High School is located at 540 Ashbury Ave. in El Cerrito.
A Pattern Playing Out Beyond El Cerrito
El Cerrito's football program has already weathered one disruption in recent years: in 2024, the team forfeited six games after players were deemed ineligible, a separate matter from the current hazing investigation, as Richmond Confidential reported at the time.
Similar cases have surfaced elsewhere in recent weeks. In California's Central Valley, Beyer High School canceled the remainder of its varsity football season and placed its head coach on administrative leave after a juvenile was cited for misdemeanor battery on Oct. 29, with the junior varsity and freshman seasons also canceled, according to USA Today. That outlet reported police were no longer actively investigating the Beyer incident as of Nov. 2.
In Massachusetts, a hazing investigation into the Hoosac Valley High School football program ended differently: prosecutors announced no charges would be filed, saying the investigation uncovered no evidence of criminal conduct, according to MassLive. That program had been temporarily paused before returning to the field nine days after the incident, the outlet reported. It remains unclear how the El Cerrito investigation will ultimately be resolved.
El Cerrito police have asked anyone with information to contact investigators at 510-215-4435 or [email protected].
