Frenzied fans storm court before brawls at high school basketball game, SC cops say
Fans stormed the court before a series of fights broke out at a boys’ basketball game, South Carolina officials say.
Teams from Johnsonville and North Charleston high schools had just finished a close game on Feb. 22 when their fans “became hyped up,” according to the Florence County Sheriff’s Office.
That’s when North Charleston spectators left their seats, officials said in an incident report.
“During this time words were exchanged on the court between a fan and a basketball player that resulted in both sides of fans rushing on to the court in a frenzy,” the incident report said.
On the crowded gym floor, deputies say a 16-year-old girl walked up to North Charleston cheerleaders, “had an exchange of words” and started a fight.
When a coach tried to break up the fight, a 20-year-old woman who was with the teenager jumped onto the coach’s back, “repeatedly punching her,” the sheriff’s office said in its report.
As the cheerleaders were escorted from the gym, the teenager started another brawl with them, according to the report.
In all, up to eight fights erupted in the high school gym, Chief Deputy Glen Kirby told WPDE.
Video shared with the station shows dozens of people on the court at the time.
Henry Darby, principal of North Charleston High School, has disputed the sheriff’s office account, saying his fans didn’t flood the court at the game, according to WPDE. He said a pregnant spectator was attacked during the ordeal, the station reports.
The Charleston County School District on Wednesday didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Randy Smiley, superintendent of Florence County School District 5, in an email referred McClatchy News to the sheriff’s office investigation.
The alleged fights broke out at his district’s Johnsonville High School, roughly 35 miles southeast of Florence. The home team lost 59-56, according to MaxPreps.
The teenager, whose name wasn’t revealed due to her age, was handcuffed at the scene and released, according to deputies. Officials are also seeking an arrest warrant for the 20-year-old woman, the incident report said.
“A further investigation is being conducted to positively identify the North Charleston High School cheerleaders involved in the incidents to determine any assault charges,” officials wrote in their incident report.
