A Charlotte, North Carolina man arrested after storming the court during a high school basketball game says he regrets what happened.
Ernest Owens said he was just trying to check on his daughter after he saw school resource officers approaching her. The brawl happened at East Mecklenburg High School during the boys basketball game versus Butler High School.
Owens’ daughter plays for Butler’s girls basketball team, which had just wrapped up its game. Video shows Owens’ wife jumping in, along with their daughter, and hitting the officer in the head.
The argument started when the resource officer asked Owens’ daughter to move from the East Meck side of the gym back to the Butler side. It’s a common practice that students from different schools sit separately at high school games.
Owens said his daughter moved from East Mecklenburg to Butler High School this year, and there has been some tension between her and staff at her old school. He said his daughter got permission from East Mecklenburg’s principal to say hello to a former coach sitting on the East Meck side.
He said other staff members told his daughter to leave, and that’s when the argument began. Owens admits he exchanged words with the resource officer as he went to his daughter’s side, and then the confrontation got physical.
Owens was arrested on multiple charges. More arrests are possible. No one was seriously hurt in the incident. Owens said his daughter met with her coach Saturday, and will meet with Butler’s principal Monday.