Pittsburgh police have arrested a woman on Thursday for allegedly throwing a brick into the face of her 10-year-old daughter’s school teacher as revenge for her confiscating her cell phone.
Daishonta Marie Williams, 29, a resident of Pittsburgh’s North Side, has been charged with aggravated assault and stalking.
Police are also searching for a man believed to have taken part in the assault alongside Williams.
The charges stem from an incident involving Janice Watkins, a 46-year-old Pittsburgh school teacher.
Watkins is out of the hospital and recovering on Thursday after Williams allegedly threw a brick into her face and assaulted her in the middle of a busy intersection on Wednesday.
The shocking incident was believed to be retaliation for Watkins’ confiscating a cell phone from Williams’s daughter, who attends fourth grade at the Pittsburgh King PreK-8 School.
The young student, 10, allegedly retaliated by biting the teacher, KDKA-TV reported.
Janice Watkins, 46, is a teacher at a PreK-8 school in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She was allegedly assaulted on Wednesday by the parents of a fourth-grade student
The shocking incident took place on Wednesday, when Watkins confiscated a cell phone from a girl in fourth grade at the Pittsburgh King PreK-8 School
The school district has a ‘no cell phone’ policy that forbids students from bringing them to school.
Soon afterward, Williams and another male who is believed to be the father came to the school and confronted Watkins. They allegedly threatened to ‘get even.’
When Watkins drove to a local clinic to get the bite wound examined, the parents allegedly followed her.
Pittsburgh Police say that at approximately 3:15pm, Watkins pulled up to the intersection of Route 65 and the West End Bridge.
Moments later, a black SUV pulled up beside her.
That’s when Williams allegedly threw a brick into Watkins’ face. Watkins was then allegedly beaten by two men.
‘She said, “I put my window down and the woman threw a brick through my window,” and hit her in her face,’ said Betty Davis, Watkins’ mother.
‘And that’s when she said, “I told you I would get you,” and [Watkins] said, “I didn’t realize it was two other people,” but she said she felt something hit her in the back and it was two men.’
Pittsburgh Police say that at approximately 3:15pm on Wednesday, Watkins pulled up to the intersection of Route 65 and the West End Bridge (above). Moments later, a black SUV pulled up beside her. The assailants got out of the SUV and assaulted her
‘As soon as she hit the red lights, they got out,’ Gerald Watkins, the victim’s son, said.
‘They threw a brick through her car. They pulled her out and assaulted her.’
Immediately after the assault, the perpetrators took off.
Watkins, heavily bleeding and dazed from the attack, dialed 911 immediately afterward.
She was treated in a local hospital for a lost tooth and facial injuries.
Williams said that she assaulted Watkins because she learned that the teacher allegedly choked her daughter.
‘If somebody put their hands on your child, what would you do?’ Williams told WPXI-TV.
‘I didn’t technically follow her out the school. I waited for her to pull out and I followed her to the stop light.’
The assailant said that she attacked Watkins because she ‘choked’ her daughter earlier at the school (seen above)
‘I’m not denying that my daughter bit her, but my daughter would never attack someone unless she felt threatened,’ Williams said.
She said that she planned to turn herself in to police.
‘I regret the way I went about the situation, but as a mother, you’re not going to put your hands around my child’s neck,’ Williams said.
Watkins’ son was outraged by the attack.
‘It’s just ridiculous and it’s horrible,’ said Gerald Watkins.
‘That’s the way they teach their children to solve differences.
‘There’s 102 ways that you can deal with this situation and violence is not one of them.’