After a member of the Wichita Police Department allegedly confronted and shoved a teenage referee during a youth basketball game in Augusta on Saturday. The department is reviewing the incident.
Craig Carlson — who was not at the game — posted a video of the incident to Facebook.
“This happened today in Augusta Ks… this guy is a Wichita PD officer, who assaulted a 17yr old basketball official during a 5/6th grade game,” he posted. “This is exactly why there is a shortage of officials in sports. This is unacceptable and should be seen and shared.”
The video had received nearly 10,000 views as of mid-afternoon Sunday.
“The official that was pushed is my buddy’s daughter and being an official myself, I thought I should share this with all my friends,” Carlson said in a Facebook message.
The man can be seen confronting a girl referee and can be heard saying “Get out of my way” as he leaves the court with a player.
A woman commented on the video and said the referee is her niece.
“And sadly this kind of abuse on these teenage athletes who are reffing is becoming more frequent,” she said. “Absolutely ridiculous.”
Officer Paul Cruz with the Wichita Police Department confirmed that the man is a department member, but he did not say if the man is an officer.
“WPD will be reviewing the incident to determine if any department policies were violated,” Cruz said in a written statement. “WPD officials do not have all the facts surrounding the incident at this time and cannot provide any further comment.”
A spokesman with the Augusta Police Department said the department is investigating, but a statement will not be released until Tuesday.
Source: http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article194638699.html