Father, daughter involved in separate altercations at Pittsburgh high school

PITTSBURGH — Two altercations, one involving a parent and the second his daughter, broke out Tuesday morning at Taylor Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood, officials said.

Not only were the girls involved in the fight sent home afterward, the father was arrested and taken to jail when he showed up to the school.

His fiance told Channel 11 her side of the story.

Video shows the violent fight that erupted inside the school involving six girls.

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According to police paperwork, when school police officers showed up at the school for the fight, one of the girl's parents, identified as Shawn Avant, approached an officer yelling obscenities. Police say he pointed his finger in the officer's face, took off his jacket and asked, "You want some of this?"

"I want to say some of this is definitely not true," said Rita Clary, Avant's fiance. "What he did say is, 'Oh, you want some of this?'"

When she saw the video on Channel 11 News at Noon, she called to tell their side of the story.

She said when she and her fiance were leaving the building, her daughter gave her friend a hug goodbye.

"Maybe he thought they were getting into it and they were having an altercation because they were hugging each other, but he {the officer} came on full throttle," Clary said.

When Avant saw the officer approach his daughter, that's when Clary said he jumped in to protect her.

"He's definitely falsely accused of what happened, what the allegations are," Clary said.

Police say when school officers tried to arrest Avant, he resisted. Police say he became physically and verbally explosive, saying, "Don't f****** touch me, get the f*** off me." The altercation eventually led to one of the officers being transported to a medical facility for a possible fracture.

"I know I have to do something about it because that's not him. That's not his character. This is not us," Clary said.

A spokesperson from Pittsburgh Public Schools sent Channel 11 a statement saying, "All students involved in the altercation were sent home and are facing school-based disciplinary action."

Avant is at the Allegheny County Jail facing several charges.

Cox Media Group