Police are investigating an assault on a referee after a basketball game at a Georgia church that was caught on video.
In a brief statement shared with NBC News, the DeKalb County Police Department said it responded to Stronghold Christian Church in Lithonia, about 20 miles east of Atlanta. The referee told officers “he was assaulted by multiple suspects after the basketball game.”
The incident is under investigation, police said. It is not clear who was playing and it does not appear the teams were affiliated with any school or registered league, NBC affiliate WXIA reported.
Video posted to social media appears to show the end of a basketball game — a player misses a shot and the buzzer sounds.
A few seconds later, five people on the court can be seen in the video following the referee. They are quickly joined by others, and the group starts taking swings at the referee, who appears to be trying to defend himself.
The group of about 10 forces the referee to the floor and kicks and punches him, the video appears to show. The video has not been independently verified by NBC News.
Benjamin Gaither, the senior pastor at Stronghold Christian Church, called the violence “unfortunate.”
“We open our doors to serve our community and our goal is to provide an atmosphere conducive for enjoyment, enrichment, etc,” Gaither said in a statement. “While we can not control people, it is our hope and prayer that those who enter our facility will conduct themselves in the best manner.”
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
