At a church athletic facility in Georgia, a group of teenagers and their parents beat up the referee, leaving him with 30 stitches. The ‘Love of the game’ event at the Stronghold Christian Church in Lithonia, Georgia, turned violent on Sunday afternoon, as evidenced by security camera footage.
In the video, the referee is chased by three young basketball players from one team and two adults before being pinned to the ground. The referee was then viciously punched and kicked by the group, inflicting serious damage.
The referee required 30 stitches after being rushed to a nearby hospital. As of this writing, it appears that he is on track for a full recovery.
The Dekalb County Sheriff’s Office is currently investigating the violent incident. There have been no arrests so far. The referee who was stabbed to death has yet to be identified.
The church’s pastor, Benjamin Gaither, issued a statement condemning the attack. Gaither wrote on Facebook.
It is truly unfortunate about the turn of events that took place during the basketball game held at our facility this weekend. While we cannot control people, it is our hope and prayer that those who enter our facility will conduct themselves in the best manner.
He can be seen trying to run away from both teenagers and adults who are following him in this video which has since gone viral.
Relentless kicks and punches keep him down on the ground, unable to stand up for himself. Audience members can be heard shouting, “No!” throughout the recording. The attack was witnessed by a second referee, who stood by and did nothing when the attack was taking place.
On Sunday afternoon, police were called to the Stronghold Christian Church after receiving reports that someone had been physically assaulted. The investigation into the assault is ongoing, but no one has been charged or arrested.
‘The referee appears outnumbered from the very start,’ basketball coach Parris Cherry told local news.
‘I was appalled. It was a very scary video. To see the adults instigate and then the kids follow up to the point where it was the kids who chased down the referee at the end of the video, it’s just disgusting. And it seems like there wasn’t any adult trying to break it up.’
Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) officials deny that the attack occurred during a sanctioned game, despite witnesses’ claims to the contrary.