A teenage soccer player in Virginia was left with a swollen eye and a mild concussion after he was viciously attacked by his rival’s father during a championship game.
Timothy Vickerie’s mom and dad said the incident happened last weekend during the North American Sand Soccer Championship, a large tournament in Virginia Beach that attracts more than 10,000 players and hundreds of teams.
Timothy, the boy’s father, said the event is usually a fun weekend but this year’s tournament turned violent when his 14-year-old son was attacked by his opponent’s 38-year-old dad.
According to Fox31, the June 9 game was coming to an end with Vickerie’s team’s in the lead 5-4 when Vickerie and a player on the opposing team got into a scuffle over the ball.
Timothy Vickerie, 14, was attacked during his championship soccer game by his opponent’s 38-year-old father
The teen had a mild concussion and needed several stitches in his face
‘They were grabbing each other and it was certainly getting grabby,’ parent Jennifer Moss said. She was at the event with her son to watch the game.
Moss said while the teens were going at it for the ball, a man from the sidelines charged onto the field, grabbed Vickerie and threw him on the ground face-up.
‘Then, he punched him at least two to four times that I saw,’ Moss told the outlet.
‘The next thing I knew, 10 other dads had to wrestle him down,’ she said, adding that she called 911. ‘I was shaking. It was so shocking. I was in such disbelief. I couldn’t believe what I saw.’
Vickerie told Fox31 that he saw the man charging at him, but he didn’t have enough time to react.
‘I saw his arm go up and – boom – felt it on my face. He punched me,’ the teen said.
Sharonda Vickerie, the boy’s mother, said his face was bloody and his right eye was swollen shut.
‘He was kind of in a daze, shocked and confused by everything,’ she said.
Police arrested Jordan Grinnell and charged him with misdemeanor assault
The teen’s parents said Vickerie had gotten into a scuffle with a player on the opposing team during the soccer game when the boy’s father jumped in and attacked Vickerie
Vickerie was rushed to the hospital and was told he had a mild concussion. He also received several stitches in his face for a gash above his eye.
Jordan Grinnell, of Virginia Beach, was arrested after the fight and charged him with misdemeanor assault. Fox31 reports that he is the father of the boy Vickerie got into the scuffle with.
‘(Grinnell) tried to apologize, but we weren’t interested in that,’ the boy’s father, Timothy said. The family said they may take legal action against Grinnell in civil court.
Grinnell has since been released from jail on bond and is expected to be arraigned on June 20.