Pair gets jail time in 2017 brick attack on Pittsburgh teacher

A judge Monday sentenced a woman and her boyfriend to nearly a year in jail for their 2017 attack on a Pittsburgh Public Schools teacher on the West End Bridge.

Daishonta Williams, 30, and Vincent Beasley, 27, both pleaded guilty late last year to aggravated assault and conspiracy for the attack on Pittsburgh King PreK-8 teacher Janice Watkins.

Williams pleaded for no jail time during the hearing in front of Common Pleas Judge Randal Todd, saying she has children to take care of, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV.

Todd, however, sentenced the pair to 11 ½ months in jail followed by five years of probation, court records show. Both must also perform 100 hours of community service.

The attack happened Oct. 18, 2017, when Williams and Beasley followed Watkins in her car onto the West End Bridge and threw a brick through her open window, knocking out one of her teeth, police said. They pulled her from the car and beat her.

The incident was sparked by a confrontation two days earlier when Watkins called Williams to the North Side school after Williams’ daughter bit Watkins when she confiscated her cellphone, according to police. The daughter, however, said Watkins tried to choke her.

Megan Guza is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Megan at 412-380-8519, mguza@tribweb.com or via Twitter @meganguzaTrib.