A wild melee ensued at a California high school basketball game over the weekend after a referee punched a coach, sparking a riotous scene on the sidelines.
According to TMZ Sports, “the incident went down during a fall league contest between Arlington and Oak Hills at Santiago High School in Corona, California on Saturday, Oct. 21.”
Witnesses state that the trouble started after Oak Hills coach Rob Alexander began criticizing referee Brandon Knapper for what he perceived to be bad officiating. The discussion turned into an argument, and the argument led to Knapper assaulting Alexander.
It doesn’t seem like it took too long for the fight to escalate. The two only briefly exchanged words before Knapper took his swing. Witnesses did not state what was said between the two.
Knapper is a former college basketball player who played for West Virginia, Eastern Kentucky, and Cal State San Bernardino, TMZ Sports reports. One of Alexander’s players punched Knapper in the head to protect his coach from taking repeated punches.
Knapper was arrested and booked on charges of battery causing serious bodily injury and assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury. Both charges are felonies. Knapper’s bail was set at $25,000, and it appears that Alexander will press charges. Knapper is set to appear in court on November 3.
“The District is thankful for the swift and decisive action taken by the event promoters and local law enforcement,” Oak Hills’ Hesperia Unified School District said in a statement. “We are also happy to report that Coach Alexander is in good spirits and looking forward to returning to coaching and teaching as soon as possible.
“We have the utmost confidence that law enforcement, CIF, and Oak Hills High School, with the support of the District, will investigate the incident thoroughly and handle it appropriately.”