Philadelphia police and Austin Meehan Middle School administrators are blaming an apparent dispute over a Philadelphia 76ers hat for causing a fight at the school last week, resulting in the arrest of one student and the hospitalization of another.

The Nov. 19 incident occurred less than a week after seven George Washington High School students were arrested and charged with assault for pummeling a student in a school hallway.

The victim in that attack suffered a fractured skull and underwent emergency surgery to remove a blood clot in his brain.

The injured Meehan student suffered cuts to the lip and mouth that required "numerous sutures," as well as a possible concussion, a police report said.

The victim was identified as Patrick O'Neill, 12, in published reports.

According to Meehan principal Mary Jackson and vice principal James Serpiello, a witness said the altercation was a two-on-one situation, with O'Neill on the short side of things, although only one youth, a 13-year-old, was arrested.

The incident happened at 3:55 p.m., 35 minutes after regular dismissal, on a basketball court behind the school building in Lexington Park.

According to the witness, Serpiello said: "A boy grabbed (O'Neill) and they started to fight. Then another boy came over and got involved."

During the brawl, O'Neill was pulled to the ground while being punched and kicked in the head, the police report states. It does not implicate a second attacker.

Police and school officials don't believe weapons were used.

A non-teaching assistant (NTA) was on duty at the building exit closest to the site of the fight, Jackson said, but did not see the altercation.

"As the NTA went to investigate (the incident), the children dispersed," the principal said.

The boy's mother took him to Nazareth Hospital that afternoon, but not before the boy and his father confronted school officials shortly after 4 p.m.

"A parent came into school and said his son was assaulted," Serpiello said.

The alleged victim was holding a towel over his mouth and did not give a statement, according to the vice principal, although the alleged witness did give his account.

Ironically, O'Neill was not wearing the 76ers hat at the time. Earlier, he had given it to another student, which might have led to the friction, Serpiello said.

The vice principal suggested to the father that he might take the boy to the hospital for treatment. The school nurse was off duty at the time.

Jackson said the NTA had earlier invited the boy inside the building to see the nurse immediately after the fight, but he refused and left school grounds.

The following day, O'Neill's mother met with school officials and requested a transfer for her son. The witness also requested a transfer out of the school. Both requests were granted, Jackson said.

Any disciplinary action by the school district against the implicated students will be determined after an investigation.