A disturbing video captured the moment a 13-year-old California basketball player stomped on the head of a defenseless player, prompting police to launch an investigation into the brutal attack.
The camera attack happened during a game between two Bay Area teams, Tumakbo United – a Filipino-American youth basketball team – and Payton’s College of Alameda on Sunday, ABC7 reported.
The victim, who plays for Tumakbo, grabbed a basketball from a teammate but was narrowly guarded against his opponent.
He falls to the ground and loses possession, causing both players to scramble and drag each other to get the ball back.
But as the two players collide on the floor, the Payton’s Place sophomore runs up and stomps the opposing player’s head hard on the hardwood.
The stomping sparked an immediate reaction from the referee, who blew his whistle and threw mud onto the field as other players and coaches fumbled him.
“He was on the ground, and this kid just came and stepped on his head,” the victim’s mother, Eva Guingab, told ABC 7.
“You could clearly see the size of his shoe on his face. My son got concussed for the first time when he played basketball.”
A photo taken after the game shows the side of his son’s head red with a visible boot mark from his neck to the top of his head.
The mother said her son is in the concussion protocol and has been dealing with his head.
“I think everyone was surprised,” Tumakbo United coach Michael Tolentino told the outlet.
“I think we all went to the stadium and went to the other team’s coach and said, ‘What happened? What’s going on?'”
However, the family of the Payton’s Place player who hit, says the boy was waiting for his teammate who they believe was kicked and punched.
The family also revealed that since the video has gone viral, the boy is being bullied online by adults.
An unidentified Payton’s Place player was ejected from the gym after the attack.
“There are pictures of one of our team’s games last weekend. Unfortunately, the pictures are not a good representation of our team and our values,” said Peyton’s Place on Instagram.
“The behavior shown by our player is unacceptable and is taken seriously. We do not encourage violence. Our players are expected to behave with integrity on and off the field. At this time, both teams are working together to solve this problem.”
Race was not a factor in the incident, coaches of both teams told the local outlet.
Guingabs has since filed a report with the Alameda Police Department, and an investigation into the alleged assault is ongoing, according to the agency.
The Alameda County District Attorney will decide whether to press charges after a police investigation.
“If we don’t say anything now, this kid will think it’s okay to do it because he’s young,” Guingab said. He thinks that leaving this situation is right, and it is not right.
On Tuesday, Peyton’s Place said it had removed the player from its lineup and that his behavior was “unexpected.”
“The player involved no longer plays for Payton’s Place,” the team said. “His behavior was unexpected. We are working to help give him the tools to prevent this in the future. Violence has never been a part of our group. On behalf of the Payton’s Place Family, we apologize to the player injured in this incident, his family and all those affected. ”
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