RCMP appeal for calm following boy's arrest after alleged incident at school

RCMP say a 13-year-old boy has been arrested for an alleged assault in Port Coquitlam, B.C., and they are asking the public to avoid making ``snap judgments'' about the case based on what's being said on social media.

The teen was arrested after police say they received a call on Jan. 10 about an alleged assault on the grounds of Citadel Middle School.

The RCMP say their initial investigation determined there was a ``verbal confrontation'' between four male and one female youths, which ``escalated when the girl used a low level of physical force.''

The Mounties say at that time, a 13-year-old boy from Maple Ridge is alleged to have ``used an inappropriate level of force that caused an injury to the girl.''

The boy has been charged with assault causing bodily harm and uttering threats.

The identities of those involved are protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.