CHARLESTON, S.C. - Seventeen Stratford High School students have filed a lawsuit against the city of Goose Creek and the Berkeley County school district, alleging police and school officials terrorized them in a drug raid last month.

The defendants named in the lawsuit, filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Charleston, include: Stratford High School principal George McCrackin; Berkeley County school superintendent Chester Floyd; Goose Creek police Chief Harvey Becker; and Goose Creek police Lt. Dave Aarons.

The suit also names the city of Goose Creek, its police department and the Berkeley County School District as defendants.

The lawsuit stems from a Nov. 5 raid in which police swept through Stratford High School looking for drugs, pointing guns at students and ordering them to the floor.

Solicitor Ralph Hoisington asked state Attorney General Henry McMaster on Thursday to investigate whether any laws were broken in the raid. Hoisington also asked SLED to share its investigation with the U.S. attorney's office and FBI to determine whether federal criminal violations occurred.

McCrackin said Friday he had not received any information about the lawsuit. "Even if I had, I can't comment," he said.

Floyd said he heard about the lawsuit Friday afternoon and described the matter as "very unfortunate."

"We've had local, state, national and international news coverage on this," Floyd said. "It's a month old. I'm trying to get everything back to normal. I'm sorry it all happened. I'm sorry it's a lawsuit."

Stratford officials have said they had reason to believe drugs were being sold in the hallway before classes started, but no drugs were found in the raid. Some Stratford students were arrested on drug-related charges earlier this year.

In the lawsuit, the students asked for an unspecified amount of money for damages and an injunction against another such raid.

They suit also charges the students' constitutional rights had been violated and levels charges of assault, battery and false arrest.

Students involved in the lawsuit provided details of what happened to them when police conducted the raid. Maurice Harris, a 14-year-old freshman, said one officer pointed a gun at his face. "Maurice can still see the end of the barrel looking him in his face," the suit said.

"This is an open-and-shut case of excessive police force on innocent children," said Ron Motley, lead attorney for the students and their parents. "This made us a laughing stock all over the United States, and it can't be tolerated."

Civil rights activist the Rev. Jesse Jackson traveled to the Lowcountry this week and announced plans for a Dec. 16 rally to protest the drug raid.