Last weekend, a basketball referee took his job way too seriously when he suddenly attacked a head coach.
Former West Virginia guard Brandon Knapper was arrested at a high school basketball game in California, according to TMZ.
Knapper, a 26-year-old former college basketball player, was officiating the fall league game between Arlington and Oak Hills when he could be seen punching Oak Hills head coach Rob Alexander in the face, knocking him to the ground.
After initially knocking him down, Knapper could be seen attacking him while he was on the ground. That’s when players and fans intervened.
Knapper was eventually forced away from the melee, while multiple people tended to Alexander before the video cut off.
Alexander was later hospitalized and Knapper was arrested.
Law enforcement tells TMZ that Alexander requested prosecution against Knapper upon their arrival. Knapper then turned himself in and was charged with battery causing serious bodily injury and assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury.
Both charges are felonies.
The game continued after the incident.
Knapper played at WVU from 2017 to 2020 and averaged 5 points per game in 32 games during the 2018-2019 season after sitting out the previous season as a redshirt due to an injury.
He would finish out his college career at Eastern Kentucky and Cal State San Bernardino.