A Florida father mercilessly sucker-punched an umpire during a baseball game last month. Video shows the umpire being knocked unconscious by the violent dad.
The brutal attack happened on April 18, during the baseball game between Liberty High School and Victory Charter School in Kissimmee, Florida.
The Florida man, identified by police as 41-year-old Jorge Ignacio Aponte-Gonzalez, allegedly had an issue with how the umpire communicated with his son.
Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez said at a Wednesday news briefing, “From what I understand, the kid was being disruptive, so the umpire’s like, ‘Hey, tone it down,’ maintaining control. They went back and forth a little bit. I don’t know exactly what was exchanged, but it was umpire to child, pretty much to maintain control of the game, and that is what upset the father.”
Video shows Aponte-Gonzalez walking around the baseball field to confront the umpire. The umpire was looking the other way when he was violently sucker-punched by the father.
Lopez said the umpire was “knocked out.”
The suspect allegedly fled the crime scene. Police reviewed the video of the dangerous attack and determined that the alleged assailant was Aponte-Gonzalez.
The sheriff did not know of the umpire’s health condition but said he talked to him, and he was in “good spirits.
The father reportedly told police that he attacked the umpire because he was “defending his kid.”
Lopez said, “There should be no parent acting like this in public,” adding, “Sometimes adults act worse than kids.”
Lopez revealed that he had previously met the unnamed umpire and that he is a “good man.”
“This umpire is a 63-year-old man, he’s a United States military veteran, he’s a disabled veteran,” Lopez said. “He does this because he has passion for baseball, and he likes to give back to his community, and he loves to dedicate his time to baseball and to kids.”
Lopez continued, “(The victim) has a son who’s in the Army, who has also a passion for baseball, wants to coach like him and umpire like him and said he hopes that he never has to go through this. He wants to make sure this guy never does this again to anybody.”
Aponte-Gonzalez is facing charges of battery on a sports official and disruption of a school function, according to WPLG. The father was booked in the Osceola County jail on a $1,500 bond.
WARNING: Graphic video
Deputies: Parent knocks out umpirewww.youtube.com
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!