What did official police statements from Buda and Kyle say, verbatim, about the incidents and arrests?
Executive summary
Buda Police Department’s public statements repeatedly describe responding to reports of a fight during a student walkout, say they interviewed the adult involved and witnesses, and that Chad Michael Watts was arrested and “charged with two counts of assault causing bodily injury” [1] [2]. Kyle Police Department’s public comments in related reporting focused on a separate ICE detainment in Kyle — saying the Hays County Sheriff’s Office received a call from Homeland Security/ICE for ambulance assistance and that Kyle police confirmed a person was transported to a hospital — and that local agencies were not involved in federal operations [3] [4] [5].
1. Buda Police: how the department described the encounter, verbatim
Buda Police told reporters that “on Monday afternoon, it learned of a walkout protest happening on RM 967 from a school resource officer,” and that they were called to the intersection for “reports of a fight,” adding that a “verbal argument between a girl on the sidewalk and a man in a vehicle escalated into a physical altercation involving multiple people” [1]. The department also stated that “after further thorough investigation, it was determined that Watts was the primary aggressor in the physical altercation” [6], and its public-facing releases noted officers “served an arrest warrant to Chad Michael Watts, 45, of Kyle, for two counts of assault causing bodily injury” [7].
2. Buda Police: on interviews, evidence and community messaging, verbatim
Buda officials said they “have gotten a statement from the man and are working with Hays CISD to collect witness statements and video evidence from students,” language quoted by the mayor and city officials as they urged patience while investigators followed up [1]. The department’s notifications and the mayor’s posts framed the incident as “an emotionally-charged and sensitive issue involving minors” and urged the community “to exercise patience and allow the Buda Police Department to complete their investigation,” language attributed to local officials in coverage [8].
3. Buda Police: the arrest and charging language, verbatim
Multiple outlets quoting Buda PD said plainly that “Chad Michael Watts, 45, was arrested Tuesday afternoon and charged with two counts of assault causing bodily injury,” repeating the department’s charge description in identical terms [2] [6]. Buda’s statement that the investigation remained “ongoing to determine if additional charges will be filed” and its request that anyone with information contact Hays County dispatch were also relayed in reporting [7].
4. Kyle Police: what the department said, verbatim, about the separate ICE operation and hospital transport
Kyle Police publicly said the Hays County Sheriff’s Office “received a call at approximately 7:45 a.m. from Homeland Security/ICE requesting ambulance assistance for an individual being detained by federal authorities,” and that “one person was sent to the hospital after being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Kyle,” language used across local reports quoting Kyle Police [3] [4]. Coverage also relayed the Kyle Police Department’s confirmation that the detained person was “taken to a hospital for medical evaluation” and was accompanied by Homeland Security personnel [3] [4].
5. What the official statements did not say (and reporting limitations)
Official releases from Buda PD, as reported, did not include a transcript of the man’s statement but did note police “gotten a statement from the man,” and reporting repeated that Buda police said their role was investigative around the walkout incident rather than in any federal immigration operation [1] [4]. Kyle Police statements described only the ICE-related detainment and ambulance transport; coverage explicitly notes local agencies emphasized they “are not involved in the operation,” a distinction made in multiple stories [4] [5]. Where outlets paraphrased police language, verbatim phrases are provided above only where present in the reporting; if a full direct quote from a department spokesperson is not shown in the sourced stories, that absence is a limitation of the available reporting [8] [7].
6. Alternative framings, agendas and what to watch next
News reports show local officials using similar wording to emphasize protection of minors and due process—Buda officials stressing investigation and evidence collection while state leaders and activists used the events to press competing agendas about school accountability and immigration enforcement; these competing framings are present in the same reporting [6] [2] [3]. Readers should note the distinction between the Buda Police’s verbatim charge and investigatory statements about the walkout altercation, and Kyle Police’s separate, verbatim descriptions of a federal ICE detainment and hospital transport — two official threads that reporting treats as related in context but that use different, specific language [1] [3].