Police: DA to decide if parent who went after Bay Area youth basketball player will be charged
CONCORD, Calif. (KGO) -- A scuffle among 9 and 10-year-old basketball players in Concord led to a mother charging onto the court, first grabbing a player in an orange jersey, then appearing to throw a punch towards an adult.
Since our first story aired on Monday, reaction has been bold from not only those we talked with, but hundreds of people online.
"Technically, she was arrested and escorted out and then ultimately released pending review by the DA's office," said Lt. Sean Donnelly of the Concord Police Department.
On Monday, Concord police told ABC7 News that video evidence showed that the elements of a crime were not present. Now though, they say that is a decision being looked at.
EXCLUSIVE: Video shows parent charging court, taking down boy at East Bay youth basketball game
"Do you believe there was a crime committed there?" ABC7 News reporter J.R. Stone asked.
"When I look at the video, it's troubling - you see the woman run onto the court and she ends up on top of this kid and that looks troubling to me. It's up to the district attorney's office though, they are the lawyers, they ultimately make the decision," said Lt. Donnelly.
Cellphone video shows the woman being escorted out of the building but many have voiced complaints that she wasn't handcuffed and was later released. Police say when they arrived after the incident, the boy who was taken to the ground and his family were already gone.
"We had just the one side of the story at the time, the other involved parties had left, and weren't responding to our phone calls at the time so that was one of the factors at play," said Lt. Donnelly.
Officers say since that time, they have been in contact with that family who plans to press charges. They say the cellphone video of the incident is part of their investigation.
Police say the Contra Costa County DA's office is likely to receive the case next week and if a charge is filed, it would likely be a misdemeanor battery.
This CYO league is run by the Oakland Diocese who issued this statement:
"Incidents such as what happened at the CYO game Sunday between St. Francis and Good Shepherd teams are rare and are not tolerated.
Our Code of Conduct provides standards of behavior expected of coaches, spectators and players. Spectators who violate these standards of behavior can be immediately removed from the facility and be barred from attendance at subsequent CYO activities.
The incident is under review by our leadership. Specifically, the Diablo East League Sportsmanship Committee is investigating and will make recommendations to the league's athletic directors. We do not have a timeline for when the investigation will be completed, due to the Thanksgiving holiday."
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