In re X.W. CA1/1

I.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL

BACKGROUND

A. The Underlying Incident and the Case’s Disposition In November 2023, 15-year-old X.W. and 14-year-old C.S. were both students at a Sonoma County high school. Video footage from the school showed X.W. approach C.S. A “verbal altercation” took place, during which C.S. “was seen with both hands in her pockets.” X.W. eventually hit C.S. in the head and “took [her] to the ground.” X.W. then got on top of the other girl “and began to punch her multiple times in the head and torso.” Eventually, school personnel arrived and broke up the fight. C.S. went to urgent care after the attack. As reported by her mother, she “sustained a swollen left eye and bruising, a small laceration on her lip, and bruising on the back of her neck.” C.S. also had a concussion. The Sonoma County District Attorney filed a wardship petition alleging that the juvenile court had jurisdiction over X.W. under Welfare and Institutions Code1 section 602, subdivision (a). The operative petition contained two felony counts, battery with serious bodily injury and assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury (GBI), and a misdemeanor count of battery.2 In May 2024,…