Child Arrested After a Girl, 12, Died While Protecting Her Sister from Alleged Bullying

Khimberly Zavaleta Chuquipa died after another student allegedly hit her head with a metal water bottle

Khimberly Zavaleta Chuquipa.Credit : 

A child has been arrested following the death of a 12-year-old girl after a metal water bottle was allegedly thrown at her head by another student.

PEOPLE previously reported that Khimberly Zavaleta Chuquipa died in the hospital on Feb. 25 after undergoing brain surgery following the incident that took place at a school in Los Angeles over a week prior. Chuquipa’s family claimed that she had been trying to protect her sister from bullying when she got struck, NBC 4 Los Angeles reported.

On Thursday, April 2, the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed that a juvenile was arrested in connection to the death, per NBC 4 Los Angeles, CBS News and ABC7. The person was arrested for alleged murder, according to CBS News.

“This arrest is an important step toward accountability, but an arrest alone does not equal justice and does not answer the larger question of how this was allowed to happen in the first place,” the family’s attorney, Robert, Glassman, said in a statement to PEOPLE on Friday. “The focus cannot stop with one student—there must be a hard look at what the adults in charge knew, when they knew it, and why meaningful action wasn’t taken sooner.”

Khimberly Zavaleta Chuquipa.gofundme

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PEOPLE reached out to  Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) for comment but didn’t immediately receive a response.

Glassman added, “Schools have a legal duty to protect the children in their care, and when there are warning signs of escalating violence, intervention is not optional—it’s required. This tragedy demands a full and transparent investigation, not just into the individuals involved, but into the systems that failed this child.”

PEOPLE previously reported that Chuquipa’s family said she had been suffering from painful headaches after being hit with the bottle. However, they were initially sent home when they rushed her to the hospital.

Khimberly Zavaleta Chuquipa.gofundme

The girl then collapsed several days later following a brain hemorrhage, NBC 4 Los Angeles, KTLA and Fox 11 reported at the time.

“Major blood vessels in her brain ruptured, and she was rushed to UCLA Children’s hospital, placed in an induced coma, and underwent complex emergency brain surgery,” wrote the organizer of a GoFundMe page set up following Chuquipa’s death. “Her family remained by her side, praying and hoping she would come home, but at 3:30 a.m., her heart gave out.”

Chuquipa’s family filed a lawsuit against the LAUSD in March, per NBC 4 Los Angeles. They claimed that Chuquipa’s sister had been bullied before the incident occurred but the school “did not do anything.”

“On the afternoon of Feb. 17, Khimberly was trying to protect her sister. She stepped in when the school didn’t,” Glassman said at a news conference in March, per the outlet. “This tragedy really highlights and underscores the very real and very devastating consequences of unchecked bullying.”

Meanwhile, the LAPD said they were investigating Chuquipa’s death as a homicide, KTLA reported at the time.

In a statement to KTLA, a spokesperson for the LAUSD said the school “is deeply saddened by the death of a Reseda High School student.” They added, “Our thoughts and condolences are with the student’s family, friends, and the entire school community. Out of respect for the family and to protect confidentiality, we cannot share details.”

“The District takes the safety and well-being of our students very seriously. We are currently cooperating with law enforcement in connection with this incident,” the spokesperson continued.