H.S. Track Meet Murder Suspect 'Not The Aggressor,' Dad Claims

The 17-year-old accused of stabbing and killing another student this week at a high school track meet was provoked ... according to his father.

Andrew Anthony -- the dad of teenage murder suspect Karmelo Anthony -- told the New York Post on Thursday that Austin Metcalf and his friends were the ones who started Wednesday's altercation in Frisco, Texas that ended in tragedy.

"He was not the aggressor," Anthony insisted. "He was not the one who started it."

Metcalf's brother, Hunter, told WFAA on Wednesday that a tiff between Austin -- a Frisco Memorial High School athlete -- and Karmelo -- a student at Frisco Centennial High School -- escalated after they initially got into a spat over where the latter was sitting.

"We asked him to move," Hunter said. "He started getting aggressive and talking reckless."

"And my brother stepped in and said, 'You need to move.' And he's like, 'Make me move.' All the sudden, he grabbed his backpack."

Hunter said he then saw his brother suffering from a stab wound. Austin, 17, died a short time later.

Andrew said he was heartbroken by the whole ordeal ... but was adamant his son is "a good kid."

"Everyone has already made their assumptions about my son," he said, "but he’s not what they’re making him out to be."

"He works two jobs. He’s an A student, has a 3.7 GPA."

Karmelo is facing one first-degree felony count of murder ... and he currently remains behind bars.