OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – A parent is accused of punching an umpire in the head during a high school baseball game near Kissimmee, according to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office said the parent, identified as 41-year-old Jorge Ignacio Aponte-Gonzalez, attacked the umpire at Liberty High School on April 18, claiming he was “defending his kid” after the umpire addressed the child.
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Video from the attack shows Aponte-Gonzalez punching the umpire in the face and a crowd of players running over to the scene.
An affidavit shows that one of the players had been arguing with the umpire leading up to the attack.
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“The kid was being disruptive, so the umpire’s like, ‘Hey, tone it down,’ maintaining control,” Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez said at a Wednesday news briefing. “They went back and forth a little bit. I don’t know exactly what was exchanged, but... that is what upset the father.”
When deputies arrived, they said the suspect was no longer at the scene, but after reviewing surveillance footage, identified him as Aponte-Gonzalez.
The sheriff said he’s unsure of the extent of the umpire’s injuries, but added he’s in “good spirits.”
“(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,” Lopez said. “He wants to make sure this guy never does this again to anybody.”
Lopez added that no parent should be acting like this in public.
“He’ll get his just reward for his nasty behavior,” the sheriff said. “Sometimes adults act worse than kids.”
Aponte-Gonzalez is facing charges of battery on a sports official and disruption of a school function. He was booked in the Osceola County jail on a $1,500 bond.
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