13-year-old student attacked, robbed outside high school

MCKEESPORT, Pa. — A mother says her daughter was viciously attacked near McKeesport High School over her cell phone.

It was so bad, she told Channel 11 she thought her daughter had died.

“She said what if I had died? And I said I couldn't stop crying,” said Annie Clawson.

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When Clawson thinks about what could have happened to her 13-year-old daughter Katlyn, she can’t hold back tears.

“How does this happen to my daughter? Right in front of the school?“ Clawson said.

Clawson says her daughter was training at the track at after class Wednesday night, then walked to the front of the building to call her mom.

"She was attacked from behind. The kid came up from behind and choked her until she passed out," Clawson said. "She has a bruise on her face, she has her elbow busted and she hurt her knee."

Police say the attacker was a 15-year-old who then took off running.

“He came up behind her and just attacked her and took her phone and left her there on the ground,” Clawson said.

Someone called police and officers eventually caught up with the teen. He was charged and taken to the Shuman Detention Center.

As for Katlyn, she came to, ran to the school doors and called for security officers inside.

“I just feel like I want to beat the crap out of someone to be honest. She's my baby,” Clawson said.

Security called Clawson, and she took her daughter to the hospital. She’s now at home recovering.

“I’m just fed up,” Clawson said. “My daughter is supposed to be safe at school and she's not. I can't trust to send her back there.”

The district gave Channel 11 the following statement:

"Our administration was notified about an incident that occurred several hours after school by our evening security company.  McKeesport Area School District worked in collaboration with the McKeesport Police Department to identify, apprehend, and charge the suspect accordingly.

Superintendent Dr. Mark Holtzman's top priority is to continue moving the District forward by creating a safe and uninterrupted learning environment for the families of MASD."

Cox Media Group