HOUSTON – A federal agent is under investigation after he allegedly assaulted a man at a high school football game, then pulled his gun on a crowd that gathered during the melee.



Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms special agent Marc Delpit, father of a St. Thomas High School football player, allegedly got into an argument with a fellow team father during half-time in a recent game against Angleton High School.

Several witnesses allege Delpit punched the man to the ground and continued to assault him as bystanders gathered and attempted to intervene, KHOU reports.

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Houston Police spokesman Kese Smith said Delpit pulled out a pistol and waved it at the crowd before police arrived.

The special agent told police he felt threatened by the other father and defended himself. He pulled out his gun to protect himself from the crowd, Delpit said, according to KHOU.

St. Thomas High School officials declined to discuss the incident, and forwarded questions to district attorney J. Marshall Horton, who issued a worthless prepared statement.

“St. Thomas High School experienced an unfortunate incident on campus,” Horton wrote. “The school leadership has followed all appropriate procedures in the handling of this incident, and will continue to cooperate with law enforcement.”

Horton did not reveal what caused the argument, whether Delpit will be banned from future games, or any other details on the district’s course of action.

Houston Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol Firearms and Explosives Senior Special Agent Nicole Strong was a little more forthcoming.

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“ATF takes these allegations very seriously,” she said. “Pending the outcome of the investigation, the agent in question has been placed on administrative leave with pay and has been relieved of his firearms, bade and credentials.”

Strong said ATF internal affairs agents are flying in to Houston from Washington, D.C. to investigate the incident.

Delpit currently faces one count of aggravated assault. His attorney, Brian Benken, said Delpit has an “impeccable” 22-year service history with the ATF and is innocent of the charge, according to the news site.