ST. ALBANS, WV (WOWK) – A warrant has been issued in connection to a fight that broke out at a high school boy’s basketball game on Tuesday, according to St. Albans Police Department Captain Philip Bass.

Bass, who was at the matchup between St. Albans and Ripley High School, said it was like any other game until the buzzer went off. He said after the game, an altercation broke out resulting in a 43-year-old man from Ripley allegedly hitting a female student from St. Albans.

“There’s people everywhere and it seems chaotic and you have people shoving people to get out of the gym, but in reality, there were one or two punches thrown,” Bass said. “It’s definitely an unfortunate situation that has no place in youth athletics.”

He said the altercation began when a female from Ripley walked over to the St. Albans student section and started screaming at a group of people.

Eventually, it got out of control, and Bass said a man, that police believe to be the girl’s father, punched one of the female students in the crowd. The altercation lasted about a minute and the girl sustained minor injuries to the face.

“This was an isolated incident where you had a handful of people, three or four, not do the right thing and that’s what it turned into,” he said.

The man has been identified by police, but they have not released his name. However, Bass said they do not believe he had a student on the Ripley basketball team.

A spokesperson from Kanawha County Schools released the following statement:

“St. Albans High School is working cooperatively with law enforcement and internally reviewing this incident. This was not typical of our athletic events and not directly connected to members of our immediate school family, however, we will certainly continue to uphold all policies and procedures to promote a safe and positive athletic environment.”