Karmelo Anthony trial: Former Texas congressional candidate arrested outside courthouse after verdict

COLLIN COUNTY - Deputies took at least two people into custody outside the Collin County Courthouse after the verdict in the Karmelo Anthony and Austin Metcalf case, as supporters on both sides waited hours for the decision.

Courthouse arrests after Karmelo Anthony verdict

What we know:

The arrests occurred shortly after the sentence was announced. Authorities have not released details on all of the charges.

A man wearing a pink tie and suspenders was arrested outside the courthouse in connection with an alleged assault on another man, according to video recorded by FOX 4 and accounts from witnesses in the crowd.

Sholdon Daniels, a Texas Republican nominee for Congress in Texas’ 30th Congressional District, posted on X that he had been fishing between meetings just hours earlier while wearing the same outfit. 

Jail records show Daniels was booked into the Collin County Jail on June 9. Although some witnesses believed the arrest was related to an alleged assault, jail records indicate he was arrested on a charge of public intoxication. He remains in jail on a $500 bond.

Daniels’ campaign website describes him as a veteran and criminal defense attorney.

A second person, identified as Winston Parker, was also taken into custody and placed in a sheriff’s vehicle as FOX 4’s SKY 4 flew overhead. Parker was booked on a charge of unlawful carrying of a weapon, a Class A misdemeanor, with bond set at $1,000. Authorities have not released additional details about the circumstances of his arrest.

FOX 4 reporter Amelia Jones said the atmosphere outside the courthouse was tense.

By midday, hours before the verdict was announced, hundreds of people had gathered outside the courthouse, waiting for news in a case that drew widespread attention online.

The case gained national attention as misinformation and rumors circulated on social media following the 2025 incident.

Many attendees arrived early each day of the trial to hold signs, protest, and compete for limited public seating inside the courthouse.

Frisco track meet stabbing

The backstory:

Witnesses said the confrontation between the two teens began during a regional track meet at Kuykendall Stadium. Anthony, a student at Centennial High School, was sitting under the Memorial High School team tent when Metcalf, a student at Memorial High School, allegedly told him to leave. Investigators have said there is no evidence the two knew each other prior to the incident.

An arrest report details Anthony’s interactions with law enforcement immediately after the stabbing. According to the report, witnesses identified him to a school resource officer, who found Anthony on the north end of the track.

"I gave the suspect instructions to keep his hands up in the air. During this time, the suspect said verbally out loud, ‘I was protecting myself,’" the officer wrote. The report states Anthony also said, "He put his hands on me."

After the officer told colleagues he had the "alleged suspect" in custody, Anthony responded, "I’m not alleged. I did it."

"He put his hands on me. I told him not to," Anthony said as officers escorted him from the stadium in handcuffs, according to the report. It also states Anthony later asked officers whether the victim would be OK and whether the incident could be considered self-defense.

In the days after the stabbing, the case spread widely across social media. Anthony maintained a claim of self-defense while held on a $1 million bond. Twelve days after his arrest, a judge reduced the bond to $250,000, citing his lack of prior criminal history.

Three days later, Anthony’s family held a news conference urging the public to lower tensions surrounding the case.

"I don't know why we are being targeted and discriminated against before a fair trial," said Anthony’s mother, Kayla Hayes.

Public attention increased further when Metcalf’s father attended the news conference and was later escorted out by police after organizers said he was not invited.