At least 40 people involved in brawl at basketball tournament, parents say

SOUTH FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — A brawl involving two girls' basketball teams at a tournament arranged by D1-Spects left one teen injured.

The incident happened Sunday at Langston Hughes High School when punches began to fly between a team from Cobb County and a team from Texas.

The organizer of the event said the violence that erupted was not a brawl, but parents, players and one coach said it was.

Jamiah Gregory, 13, said that in the fourth quarter, an opposing player grabbed her leg and an adult came out of the stands. Her coach couldn't believe what he saw next.

"This girl just comes and grabs my player by the neck and throws her down," coach Chris Henderson said.

That's when parents and players hit the floor. Witnesses told Channel 2 Action News up to 40 people were involved in the fight.

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A parent said she had to pull a group of adults and children off the teen after the brawl erupted.

Ultimately, police responded to the scene and Gregory was taken to the hospital after suffering a concussion.

"It was complete chaos," parent Crystal Henderson said. "I've never seen anything like this."

Henderson has followed AAU basketball for more than 20 years.

"The spectators in the stands were actually jumping in on this kid," Henderson said.

Channel 2 Action News spoke with Gregory after the brawl, and she described the terrifying moment when she was attacked.

"Like, hitting me in the head and bashing it to the ground, like that, and I was like, 'Oh, my gosh,'" Gregory said. "So, like everyone from their team stormed out on the court, and was, like, kicking me and making my head go into the ground."

Jamiah Gregory's mother, Veronica Pettway, said she is angry.

"I want to know why it was only one security guard here with such a big crowd," Pettway said.

The Fulton County School System said the game was not a district-sponsored event. A spokesperson said the incident started with a hard foul.

Police are now investigating, but Crystal Henderson said the preliminary investigation should have led to someone going to jail.

"I felt like they did not need to leave the state of Georgia acting like that and think it's OK," Henderson said.

Channel 2 Action News called a manager of the team from Texas for a comment, and the manager said he did not have one and hung up the phone.

The organizer of the event said two security guards were present, but, parents told Channel 2 Action News they only saw one, and that it took too long for police to respond to the scene.

Cox Media Group