Man charged in attack on basketball referee at DeKalb County church
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - Police secured a warrant for the arrest of a 26-year-old man involved in the attack on a basketball referee.
A county spokesperson said 26-year-old Isaiah Graham is wanted for misdemeanor battery for the incident that happened on April 6 at a Lithonia church.
It's not clear what Graham's involvement in the attack was, or if charges are pending against other people.
A video initially posted by TMZ shows several players on an Alabama eighth-grade basketball team swarm referee Sidney Freeman at the end of a game.
The tournament organizer, Kenneth Tarver, told FOX 5 Atlanta they played for a squad called Dream Team Elite.
Freeman, at one point, held his hands up and walked backward while several people move toward him. He seems to swing at a person, who falls. Several people took the referee to the ground, punched and kicked him. Other referees stood by and didn't intervene.
Dewayne Fisher, the head of Anytime Sports Officials, said a coach told players to jump on the referee after losing a game.
"This is happening more and more," Fisher said.
The case is still active and investigators ask anyone with information to call the police department at 770-724-7850.