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Arrest to Be Made in Referee Attack

Posted on: Tuesday, 20 June 2006, 06:00 CDT

By Ben Tinsley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas

Jun. 20--GRAPEVINE -- Police said they expect to arrest today a man who walked onto a playing field Saturday at Grapevine High School and punched a referee during a seven-on-seven state qualifying tournament football game for high school players.

The altercation occurred during the second half of the Wylie-Lewisville Hebron game and resulted from a disagreement over a call the referee made, police said.

They said Monday that they are unsure which play the man was upset about.

Police said the man walked onto the field and told the referee that he wanted to speak with him after the game. According to police, the referee responded, "If you want to talk with me, talk now."

That prompted the man to walk hastily up to the referee, police said.

"He went out onto that field and punched the referee in the face, and they both went down to the ground wrestling," Grapevine Police Sgt. Bob Murphy said. "Others had to separate them. The suspect admits he punched the referee but claims the referee was coming at him in an aggressive way."

The referee received at least one blow to the face, which cut his lip, police said.

Grapevine police did not release either man's name Monday because the case is under investigation. They said the referee is a 59-year-old Arlington man. Police said the other man is 47, possibly a coach, and lives in Wylie, in Collin County.

According to TexasPrepXtra.com, a Web site that reports on seven-on-seven football in Texas, the man is a coach for the Wylie team.

The game was stopped with Hebron ahead 33-18. Wylie was forced to forfeit the Hebron game and a final game against Flower Mound Marcus because of the fight, according to the Web site.

An off-duty Irving police officer at the game helped break up the fight and kept the man in a parking lot, Murphy said. The officer took notes, he said.

The Wylie man may be charged with assault causing bodily injury, a Class A misdemeanor punishable by a year in jail or a $4,000 fine, Murphy said.

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Ben Tinsley, (817) 685-3821 btinsley@star-telegram.com

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Copyright (c) 2006, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Fort Worth, Texas)

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