A disgruntled Washington dad is accused of assaulting two teenage referees throughout an “unprovoked” assault throughout a youth hockey sport.
Uriel Isaac Cortes Gonzalez, 42, was seen strolling onto the ice on the Kraken Group Iceplex in Seattle on Sunday and shoving the 2 officers at a 12U rec hockey sport, in accordance with KOMO.
Stunning footage reveals posted by the Pacific Northwest Newbie Hockey Affiliation (PNAHA) president Jody Carpenter on Instagram reveals Gonzalez approaching the referees — ages 13 and 14 years previous — as they stood to the facet throughout a break within the sport and allegedly assaulted them.
Outraged onlookers are heard screaming in disgust.
“Hockey is a sport of ardour, however there’s completely no place in our sport for the form of egregious and outrageous habits that occurred throughout a 12U Rec sport right here in Washington,” Carpenter wrote within the caption.
“In my over 40 years in hockey, I’ve by no means witnessed something so utterly unacceptable.”
Police arrived on the ice rink quickly after the assault, however Gonzalez had already fled from the complicated, KOMO reported.
Legislation enforcement arrested Gonzalez after he was stopped at a site visitors gentle close to the Kraken Group Iceplex.
He allegedly advised legislation enforcement that his son was “assaulted” by an opposing participant in the course of the sport, and the refs did nothing to cease it.
Gonzalez’s spouse corroborated her husband’s story and shared video proof of the incident with police.
Nonetheless, police stated they discovered no proof of his son being assaulted, and Gonzalez’s assault on the younger refs was “clearly unprovoked.”
“There is no such thing as a proof that helps XXXX declare that he acted in protection of his son on the time of the assault,” in accordance with the police report obtained by KOMO.
“A number of direct witnesses and video surveillance corroborated the account of the victims. XXXX assault on the 2 juveniles was clearly unprovoked and the conduct was particularly egregious as a result of measurement and age distinction between the victims and the suspects.”
He was charged with two counts of assault on Tuesday.
Carpenter stated that the juvenile refs “had been very sturdy” and “in good spirits” after being assaulted.
“They will’t wait to ref their subsequent sport. I’m very happy with them – very happy with the ref affiliation up there in Seattle, of supporting these youngsters and ensuring that they know that they’re not alone,” he advised the KING 5.
On Monday, the PNAHA suspended Gonzalez from taking part in any USA Hockey-sanctioned exercise underneath its management.
The group will even maintain an unbiased listening to to find out whether or not “applicable motion is taken in alignment with USA Hockey insurance policies and bylaws.”
The assault on the juvenile refs comes a month after Washington Rep. Suzanne Schmidt launched laws in January to guard referees, KOMO reported.
“My response was, ‘That’s precisely why I’m operating this invoice,’” she stated after seeing the video.
“Increasingly referees are pulling out, saying, ‘You already know what? I’m not going to do that as a result of I’m being bodily assaulted.’”
Schmidt stated if the legislation passes, it could make assaulting a ref, no matter bodily or verbal, a gross misdemeanor, punishable by as much as a $500 high-quality or six months in jail. It could additionally slap a one-year ban on offenders.
