Basketball referee gets 30 stitches after teen players attack him

Many adults joke that their greatest fear is being attacked by a group of teenagers. For one Georgia basketball referee, this nightmare recently became a reality.

After the final whistle sounded last Sunday at an unsanctioned basketball tournament held at the Stronghold Christian Church in Lithonia, Georgia, a group of players physically attacked one of the referees. The referee subsequently required 30 stitches for his wounds, according to TMZ.

Numerous players piled in after the referee was dropped to the ground. Two teens converged on the unnamed ref and he began to fight back, but he quickly was outnumbered while his fellow officiating partners merely stood by and watched.

Here is the video of the incident and we don’t necessarily advise viewing it:

Stronghold Christian Church pastor Benjamin Gaither released the following statement Monday on Facebook:

It is truly unfortunate about the turn of events that took place during the basketball game held at our facility this weekend. We open our doors to serve our community and our goal is to provide an atmosphere conducive for enjoyment, enrichment, etc. While we cannot control people, it is our hope and prayer that those who enter our facility will conduct themselves in the best manner. Our prayers go out to all those involved in this current situation.

At the time of this filing, it hasn’t been disclosed what motivated the teenagers to attack the referee. The incident was under investigation by the Dekalb County Police Department, per TMZ.

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