PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. – The father of a student at Tarpon Springs High School was arrested Thursday after attacking his son and a football coach at the school, according to the police department.
Police said they responded to the school around 2:40 p.m. Upon arrival, officers found a football coach restraining a man on the ground near the football stadium, a news release shows.
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Investigators said they learned that during football practice, one of the players — a 17-year-old student — was sitting out due to an injury. The student had been in the care of his aunt since July, the police department explained.
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The father began yelling at the student before putting his hands around the boy’s neck, police said.
Officers said the coach left practice to tell the father to stop touching the student, causing the father to let go and instead kick the coach. After that, the coach tried to restrain the father by taking him to the ground while waiting for police to arrive, records show.
The father was taken into custody and faces a charge of child abuse, though the coach refused to pursue charges, according to investigators. The father’s name has not been released at this time.
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