A teacher who tried to break up a student brawl outside Taft High School in Tremont is facing charges for allegedly hitting an officer.

Police say they responded to the fight about 3:30 p.m. Monday. Authorities say Adam Deveaux, who teaches at Urban Assembly Academy, which is located at Taft, hit an officer. Witnesses tell a different story. One woman says Deveaux intervened because cops were going to arrest an innocent student. The woman says officers used excessive force and that Deveaux only pushed the cop after he was pushed first. She also claims the teacher backed off, but officers used a Taser gun on Deveaux.

Deveaux faces charges of assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. The teacher?s union has hired an attorney to represent Deveaux. Officials at the school say they cannot comment.