UPDATED 4/6, 10:35 a.m.: The referee in question reportedly required 30 stitches “to stop the bleeding,” TMZ writes.
The founder of KB Sports, one entity behind the youth basketball tournament, told the outlet the ref’s condition has improved and that he’ll make a full recovery. “I’m gonna make it safer for the officials,” said Kenneth Tarver, noting the eighth-grade team involved in the attack has been banned.
See original story below.
Police are investigating an incident at an amateur basketball game in Georgia after a video showed several players attacking a referee on the court.
As the Telegraph reports, DeKalb County police have launched an investigation into the alleged assault by the youth basketball team and some parents present. The incident went down at Stronghold Christian Church on April 3, and when officers arrived at the scene they spoke to the referee “who advised that he was assaulted by multiple suspects after the basketball game.”
A video of the moment, first shared on Facebook, shows a group approaching the referee and at least one person throwing a punch. The group continues to walk up to the ref, at which point he’s pushed and hit multiple times, with some assailants kicking him after he falls on the ground. As WSB-TV reported, the referee suffered injuries as a result of the attack and was treated at a nearby hospital.
In a statement, the church said that it did not organize the event but recognized the alleged assault was “truly unfortunate.”
“We open our doors to serve our community and our goal is to provide an atmosphere conducive for enjoyment,” said senior pastor Dr. Benjamin Gaither of the Stronghold Christian Church. “While we can not control people, it is our hope and prayer that those who enter our facility will conduct themselves in the best manner.”
