PITTSBURGH -- The referee attacked during a Deer Lakes basketball game last winter said he hasn't been able to work or drive since being thrown to the gym floor by an irate parent. Ronald Bell, 58, of Scottdale, testified at the trial of his accused attacker Tuesday, saying the last thing he remembers happening on Feb. 6, 2004, was being upside down before his head hit the gym floor at Deer Lakes High School. "The last thing I remember is my feet being up in the air above my head," Bell said. "It's the last thing I remember." Peter Dukovich, 48, of Elgro Road, Hampton, faces charges of simple assault, assault on a sports official, recklessly endangering another person and disorderly conduct. School officials from Hampton and Deer Lakes High School testified they saw Dukovich come out of the crowd at the highly charged basketball game and attack Bell. Dukovich's son, a Hampton player, had been kicked and punched by a Deer Lakes player in a brawl under the net that interrupted the game in the third quarter. His wife, Raelynn Dukovich, had been escorted by police from the gym after they said she came onto the gym floor and hysterically cursed school officials, police officers and Bell. Dukovich's lawyer, Anthony Mariani, argued both parents were protecting their family in the violent culmination of a long-brewing feud between the schools. During the 2002-03 basketball season, Hampton and Deer Lakes developed a bitter rivalry that ended with a riot after a game in Hampton. Four Hampton students -- none of them basketball players -- were injured in a fight and several faced charges in juvenile court, Hampton High School Principal Jeff Finch testified. Deer Lakes students used weapons made of duct-tape-wrapped coins in the fight, Finch said. The incident left Hampton students bitter and their parents concerned, he said. During the 2003-2004 season, officials from Hampton and Deer Lakes negotiated special rules for the teams' games, including extra police on duty at the games, no students allowed at games, early tip-off times and limited, pre-approved adult-only spectators. Mariani questioned whether these measures were sufficient, given the turbulent relationship between the schools' students. He also got Superintendent Mark King to testify that Bell has threatened to sue the district. School officials said they never dreamed parents would become violent and they watched in horror as Bell hit the floor, got up dazed and needed to be taken away in an ambulance. Deer Lakes High School Principal William McClarnon said he heard the sickening sound of the referee hitting the hardwood floor. "Mr. Dukovich picked up Mr. Bell and threw him to the floor," McClarnon testified. "He snatched him, threw him to the floor and the thud sounded like a watermelon." McClarnon said Peter Dukovich believed Bell had put his hands on Raelynn Dukovich as she screamed obscenities. McClarnon and other witnesses from Deer Lakes and Hampton testified, however, that Bell never touched Mrs. Dukovich. John Ward, another Hampton parent, testified he was sitting next to Peter Dukovich during the game and believed he saw someone put both hands on Raelynn Dukovich's shoulders during the chaos. He could not say for sure that person was Bell. Ward also described Raelynn Dukovich's actions as maternal. "She was very much like a lioness protecting her cub," Ward said. "She was very, very concerned and very volatile." Ward said he did not see Peter Dukovich throw Bell, but rather gently move him away from Raelynn Dukovich. He went on to testify that Peter Dukovich and other parents who left the stands did so as peacemakers. When asked why Ward himself didn't contribute to this peacemaking, Ward said he couldn't reach the gym floor from the top row of bleachers. "Mr. Dukovich made it down from the top bench," Assistant District Attorney John Pittman responded. For her part in the incident, Raelynn Dukovich pleaded guilty last year to disorderly conduct and was fined $300 by District Magistrate Suzanne Blaschak. Peter Dukovich's trial is expected to continue today in Judge John Zottola's Allegheny County courtroom with testimony from students who were at the basketball game.

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