Two adults, one student wanted in connection to fight at Central girls basketball game

Two Laurens County men and a high school student are wanted in connection with a Feb. 10 assault of at least three Central High School girls basketball players and a coach during a game, according to records obtained by The Telegraph.

Warrants were issued for the three individuals, including an East Laurens High School senior, on battery, riot and public disruption of schools charges.

The incident occurred in the final seconds of a girls basketball game between the East Laurens High School Falcons and the Central High School Chargers in East Dublin Tuesday night, according to an incident report provided by the Lauren’s County Sheriff’s Office.

The report said an East Laurens player and a Central player began fighting with only seconds left in the game.

In response, a man in a yellow hoodie left his seat, ran onto the court, shoved the Central player and started throwing punches, according to video footage a source provided to The Telegraph.

The man punched a Central player, which prompted other spectators to run onto the court and begin fighting. The man also struck a second Central player, according to police records.

The report said the man was able to “slip away” before police could catch him.

“While trying to maintain control of the situation, several more fights started between spectators and fans,” the report said.

The incident report said a third Central High player was on the ground when a male East Laurens High School student kicked her in the face.

An East Dublin photographer also struck Central High coach Kowacie Reeves in the back of the head, police said.

Law enforcement had not confirmed if any of the three suspects were in custody as of Friday. The Telegraph is not naming them since they face misdemeanor charges.

Will there be consequences?

Laurens County School System Superintendent OJ Hall said the game was not forfeited, and the point was awarded to East Laurens.

Hall told The Telegraph that the man who ran on the court and allegedly assaulted the Central player was not a student athlete or student but an East Laurens fan.

The Telegraph asked Hall about police records stating that an East Laurens High School student was reportedly involved in the fights and did not receive additional comment prior to publication.

On Wednesday, Hall said he was coordinating with the district’s head of security and local law enforcement to ensure the individual was arrested.

“We have done a ‘demand to leave property,’ which means that that individual will not be allowed to attend anymore activity at East Laurens High School,” Hall said.

As for any disciplinary actions for the East Laurens basketball team, Hall said the district is still reviewing footage and waiting for updates from the Georgia High School Association to determine any further decisions.

GSHA acknowledged media requests from The Telegraph but did not provide comment prior to publication.

Second basketball fight within a week

The Feb. 10 incident followed another on-court fight Feb. 6 during a Northeast High School and Southwest High School rival boys’ basketball game.

A video of the fight circulated online last week and drew thousands of views. It showed two players on both teams bumping into each other and then breaking into an altercation .

Multiple individuals ran onto the court during the brawl to intervene, the video showed.

The Telegraph filed an open records request for incident reports with the Bibb County School District seeking information on reported injuries and suspensions among involved student-athletes and coaches. The district acknowledged the request but did not provide information before publication.

Last year, Northeast and Southwest were both fined $1,500 after a fight broke out at a football game between student-athletes, which resulted in the suspension of seven players.