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Plenty of lessons in student bar fight scenario
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From left, John Andrews, who is a local ambulance paramedic supervisor, helps students of Manteca Unifieds Regional Occupational Program (health services) immobilize shooting victim Sneaky Pete, played by Sierra High senior Ricardo Rivera, in a mock barroom incident conducted by the Careers in Law Enforcement class on Friday. - photo by VINCE REMBULAT

The same cast of characters along with the script was the same. Only the venue changed.

Students of Joe Waller’s Regional Occupational Program, Careers in Law Enforcement, took part in the annual barroom brawl incident involving the Star Bar on Friday.

Shakey was back. In this case, he was played by Sierra High senior Aaron Montes.

In his role of the jealous boyfriend, Montes reacts to seeing his girlfriend – played by Natalie Antemate, who also attends Sierra – hanging out at the fictitious Star Bar with Sneaky Pete.

A Sierra High senior, Ricardo Rivera played Sneaky Pete, who will be better known as Jerry Lee Lewis when the incident becomes next month’s mock trial.

“We rehearsed a couple of times on the fight,” said Rivera, who used rolled up construction paper as the prop cue stick.

“He actually hit me on the back of my head,” Montes said of his friend, Rivera. “But I expected that – we had fun.”

He, too, is looking forward to the trial. Montes as Shakey will be the defendant in the Shannon Jacobson vs. the State of California mock murder trial.

“They’ll find that I’m innocent,” Montes said.

Waller, who is the longtime instructor of this ROP class, was at Lindbergh School. But this year, his program was moved to the new ag mechanics and education center at the district complex.

“It actually worked out nicely for us,” Waller said. “We were able to use one room for the sports bar and the other for the domestic dispute.”

The barroom brawl and shooting – Shakey, after sustaining a broken nose, returned to the Star Bar, gunning down Sneaky Pete in front of witnesses – Antemate, who, as the girlfriend, noted that those scenes had her heart racing.

“It seemed real,” she said.

Rivera had a chance to enjoy the ride. Shortly after being “shot,” he was soon immobilized by actual Manteca paramedics along with ROP students of the health careers class.

“It was scary being taken away like that,” Rivera said.

Waller performed the same exercise three times that day. His first group was made up of students from Weston Ranch High.

He had a combination of East Union and Manteca High students take part in the second barroom brawl, with Sierra and Lathrop High participating in the afternoon.

“This was one was the largest of the three,” said Waller of the latter. “Those who didn’t participate today will certainly have a role in the courtroom exercise.”