Owner at the center of a day care brawl speaks out

HENRY COUNTY, Ga. — The owner of a Henry County day care spoke exclusively to Channel 2's Liz Artz after video was released of the woman fighting with a parent.

Channel 2 Action News first showed the video Thursday of parent David Scott Gray Jr. and the owner of McGarity School of Prep fighting after a toddler was suspended for bad behavior.

Ericka Broadway walked Artz through what she said happened that day. Channel 2 Action News also obtained the frantic 911 call she made minutes before the fight broke out. In the call, you can hear yelling in the background and Broadway stating a parent is beating up her teachers.

Broadway said Gray became irate when she showed him video of his toddler spitting on a teacher. She said Gray starting cursing at her and yelling racial slurs.

She said Gay, with his toddler in hand, went to pick up his baby from the infant room, and that's when she said he hit her and she defended herself. She said he was out of control.

Attorney Pandora Palmer is representing Broadway and said Gray's past is a good representation of how this incident escalated into a fight.

Palmer said Gray was convicted of battery and cruelty to children in the past. Palmer showed documentation of a previous protective order taken out against Gray. Palmer told Artz that had Broadway known about his record, she would have proceeded more cautiously.

Broadway said she followed all procedures that are mandated by the state after such incidents. Palmer is gathering that documentation now. Gray's attorney, Darryl Scott, released a statement about his client and his violent history:

"Mr. Gray has had some difficulty since returning from his tours in the Middle East. However, this remains a case of self-defense and we will continue, as we have done to this point, to the allow the video to speak for itself. We have yet to see any conclusive evidence that Mr. Gray did anything other than show a high level of self-restraint while under attack."

WSBTV