Update: 10-year-old Girl Dies Following After-School Clash

Updated Saturday with LBUSD comment below.

An 10-year-old Long Beach girl involved in an after-school "altercation" with another female student was rushed to a hospital later Friday and died during surgery, Long Beach police said. The cause of the death, or whether it has any link to the physical altercation, are not known; they may take weeks to determine.

Department spokeswoman Nancy Pratt said detectives are not releasing where the incident took place, nor the girls' names or school--as they try hard to reach all witnesses before outside influences might alter their recollections. It was not clear exactly what time the physical altercation occurred, other than presumably after about 3 p.m.

But at about 5:50 p.m., a hospital contacted the Long Beach Police Department to report that an 10-year-old girl--unconscious and not breathing--was brought by her family to the emergency room. 

"She was treated in the ER, taken into surgery, and then placed in ICU in critical condition," the police department spokeswoman Pratt said. "At approximately 8:50 p.m., she was pronounced deceased. The preliminary investigation indicates that she had been involved in a physical altercation after school with another female minor off campus.

"Long Beach Police Homicide detectives are investigating the incident and the investigation remains ongoing.  The official cause of death will be determined by the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office."

Saturday, the Long Beach Unified School District spoke only to the aftermath of the student's death.

"We will be providing counseling and the emotional support for our students and staff as we always do in these type of circumstances," Chris Eftychiou, director of public information for LBUSD, told the Press Telegram today.

Anyone with information regarding this incident should contact Long Beach Police Homicide Detectives Hugo Cortes and Peter Lackovic at (562) 570-7244.