Florida police sergeant accused of punching ref within the face at youngsters’ soccer sport

A Florida police sergeant was arrested Tuesday after he allegedly punched a referee within the face at a youngsters’s soccer match over the weekend, in line with police.

Sgt. Michael Russell of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Workplace struck the ref so exhausting it knocked the whistle proper out of his mouth, Sheriff TK Waters said during a Tuesday press conference.

Russell, who works within the murder division, attended the sport Saturday whereas he was off-duty when a melee erupted between gamers on opposing groups, Waters mentioned. As refs tried to interrupt up the combat, they blew their whistles to get a deal with on a scenario, he mentioned.

“Sergeant Russell walked onto the sphere towards one of many referees and Sergeant Russell struck that referee within the face,” Waters mentioned, including he’s uncertain why he hit the ref.

It’s unclear what age group was competing.

He’s been arrested on expenses of battery of a sports activities official, a third-degree felony, and is not working as a murder sergeant, however remains to be employed as the method goes by the authorized system and pending an administrative evaluate.

Russell has been with the sheriff’s workplace for 14 years and have become a sergeant in 2019.

“It’s at a youngsters’ sporting occasion, the referees blowing the whistle as you most likely hear them do in soccer video games and something when these sorts of issues get away and for some cause he struck that official,” Waters mentioned. “Disappointing.”