Man arrested after woman allegedly punched in the face at youth soccer game
Police say dispute on the sidelines escalated to violence at a West Vancouver park
One man from Surrey, B.C., was arrested after a dispute among parents on the sidelines of a youth soccer game escalated and a 45-year-old woman from North Vancouver was allegedly punched in the face.
"We really hope recreational sports can just be recreational sports," Const. Jeff Palmer of the West Vancouver Police said.
Palmer said officers responded to reports of an assault just before 6 p.m. on March 16 at Ambleside Park and found an angry group of parents blocking a vehicle from leaving the parking lot at the sports fields. They said they were preventing a man who allegedly hit a woman from getting away.
The group identified a 42-year-old man who was arrested at the scene for allegedly assaulting the North Vancouver woman.
Punched in the jaw
According to Palmer, a verbal dispute erupted after a parent picked up the game ball after it rolled out of bounds. A player on the opposing team alleged the parent was holding on to the ball to run down the game clock.
Palmer said the dispute escalated and resulted in a woman in the midst of the argument getting punched in the jaw.
Police are investigating if the woman was the intended target or hit accidentally.
The accused was released on a promise to appear in court on April 24.