Former Brashear High School Student Held For Court In Fight That Sent Teen To Hospital

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A former Brashear High School student is headed to trial for an attack that sent another student to the hospital.

Flanked by his public defender and out on bail, 18-year-old Quincey Garland appeared in municipal court Thursday morning facing charges of felony aggravated assault.

Inside, prosecutors introduced into evidence video of Garland picking up another student and slamming him to the ground. And although the student appears to be unconscious, the video shows Garland repeatedly kicking him in the head. After watching the video and taking testimony, District Justice Rick King held Garland for court.

Substitute teacher Kameo Munnell said he did not see how the fight started but got involved when he saw three students in a tussle. After pulling one student away, he said he saw Garland kick the unconscious student five times in the head.

But Public Defender T.J. Hanna argued the two other students had attacked Garland and Garland was merely defending himself, saying quote "He was jumped. This wasn't malice. This was self-defense. I would argue he was fighting off two attackers."

But outside court, neither attorney nor client had anything to say.

Garland: "No comment."

Hanna: "Mr. Garland has no comment. If you have any questions, you can reach out to the Public Defender's Office."

Sheehan: "You're saying this was self-defense?"

Hann: "We have no comment."

The victim ended up in the hospital, and his mother testified her son appears to have suffered a brain injury, lacking the ability to form coherent thoughts or sentences.

Eric Pettus, the victim's cousin, said the challenges don't end there.

"Excruciating headaches and nausea, waking up in the middle of the night screaming, running down the stairs disoriented, not knowing where he is," he said.

But the family says the January incident was the fourth time Garland had beaten the student, including an incident in a school bathroom in December where he can be seen punching and kicking the student in a stall. The family says despite their pleas, the school did nothing.

"We have a mother who reached out to the school on multiple occasions to ask for themselves to intervene and intercede in this situation and they just failed on all levels to handle it," Pettus said.

Pittsburgh Public Schools police handled the investigation, a spokesperson said.