Video of parent assaulting teen referees at Seattle hockey game sparks community outrage

SEATTLE — Seattle Police responded to a report of an "irate parent" accused of pushing two teen hockey referees so hard they were knocked onto the ice during a youth hockey game Sunday at the Kraken Community Iceplex in Northgate.

According to the police report, witnesses described a parent walking onto the ice during a game last Sunday morning during a pause in play. The teen referees are 13 and 14 years old, according to the Pacific Northwest Amateur Hockey Association.

The Association's President Jody Carpenter posted about the incident with a video showing the alleged assault on their Instagram page Sunday.

Carpenter said the video which he described as "difficult to watch" was being shared on their Instagram account to confront the seriousness of what happened. "This serves as a stark reminder of why maintaining a safe and respectful environment in our sport is so essential...there is no place for in our sport for this egregious and outrageous behavior that occurred during a 12U Rec game here in Washington, where a parent went on the ice and physically assaulted two young officials," he said.

An officer who interviewed both teens said they were treated by Seattle Fire Department medics. One of the teens complained of pain in his right hip and rear neck. The other reported an injury to his right elbow.

Outside the Kraken Community Iceplex Monday word spread of the incident.

Cassidy O'Nell heard about it and was dumbfounded by it and disappointed. "It was just insane that would happen that is totally unacceptable and needs to be noted and completely shut down."

Tanya Ocampo said it feels as if there can be a 'bad apple' in some sports crowds - remembering seeing parent-outbursts over the years at different sporting events. "Unfortunately kids hockey is not an exception to that. I think that's unacceptable people shouldn't treat kids like that, they shouldn’t' treat like that to anybody."

Carpenter said he had a chance to talk with both teen referees to make sure they were okay and know such behavior would not be tolerated.

"They know it was a very extreme situation they were involved in. the one thing that they does strike me or sticks with me is that they both commented they couldn't wait to get back on the ice to ref their next game," Carpenter said.

According to the police report, the suspect was located a short distance from the ice arena at a traffic light shortly after police were called. According to the police report, when asked for his account of what happened the man told police his son was punched and kicked for about thirty seconds and the referees did nothing to stop the assault. He said he went on the ice to defend his son and to break up the fight.

But, the responding officer wrote in his report, "There is no evidence that supports XXXX claim that he acted in defense of his son at the time of the assault. Multiple direct witnesses and video surveillance corroborated the account of the victims. XXXX assault on the two juveniles was clearly unprovoked and the conduct was especially egregious due to the size and age difference between the victims and the suspects."

The victims told police a fight did break out prior to the incident, and one of the teen refs broke it up and was conferring with officials to determine any penalties from the fight when the incident occurred. The suspect's son allegedly reported no injuries from the fight with the opposing hockey player, according to the police document.

We reached out to the Kraken Community Iceplex, which responded with this statement from the Seattle Kraken:

"The Seattle Kraken and Kraken Community Iceplex work hard to ensure the Iceplex is a safe place for everyone. We are deeply disappointed in this behavior, and are working with local legal authorities, Pacific Northwest Amateur Hockey Association, and USA Hockey to address the incident. We are still gathering facts and due to the ongoing investigation, we are unable to provide further comment or information at this time."

KOMO News reached out to the Sno-King Amateur Hockey Association too:

"We are deeply sorry to learn of an incident at a local hockey game this past weekend at the Kraken Community Iceplex (KCI) involving a spectator and two officials. The incident occurred during a youth game involving a Sno-King team; the individual was not a Sno-King Coach or Volunteer.

Sno-King bylaws and Spectator Code of Conduct expressly prohibit this type of alleged conduct, and we are collaborating with our state association Pacific Northwest Amateur Hockey Association (PNAHA) and USA Hockey governing bodies to review next steps. Sno-King strongly believes there is no room for poor behavior from any person at youth sports that endanger players, coaches, and referees and has suspended this individual from Sno-King Ice Arenas and any Sno-King related event."

"I think parents need to step back and realize it's not about them, it's about their kids. And when they get involved, you know, emotionally involved, and try and, you know, fix whatever thing they feel like is wrong with their kids, they're not, they're not helping," Carpenter said.

The City Attorney's Office is filing two counts of assault against the defendant.