A man was arrested on Wednesday after violently attacking an umpire at his child’s baseball game.

The interaction reportedly happened after the umpire, 63-year-old disabled veteran Ray Mora, told the assailants son to calm down after he was being disorderly at the game and exhibiting unsportsmanlike conduct.

“I don’t know him. I don’t even know his face,” the umpire said of Gonzalez.

Then, 41-year-old Jorge Aponte Gonzalez approached the Mora and struck him in the face, causing him to instantly drop to the ground.

Gonzalez has been charged with felony battery and disruption of a school function after the now-viral event at Liberty High School in Osceola County, Florida.

Felony battery can carry a sentence of up to five years in the state of Florida and thousands of dollars in fines.

Gonzalez reportedly attempted to justify his actions by saying that he was ‘defending his kid’, though the Osceola County Sherriff, Marco Lopez, said it indicated that he showed no remorse for his actions.

According to the Sherriff, this was not the first time that Gonzalez had been disruptive at his son’s high school baseball games.

Lopez further said that the fathers actions set a negative example for his son.

“You need to teach your kids how to conduct themselves in society, not be disruptive or violent, especially at any type of events like this,” he said.

FOX News Reports–

“One of the players started to verbally argue with the umpire, exchanging words. So the umpire is obviously going to maintain control of the game, because that’s what they are there to do – to make sure kids learn all about sportsmanlike conduct,” Sheriff Marco Lopez said during a press conference.

Video of the altercation shows an unsuspecting Mora walking away from the field between innings as Aponte-Gonzalez approaches him from behind.

“As his back is turned … one of the high school students’ fathers that’s in the game, leaves the stands, walks directly toward the umpire and just knocks him out. Just knocks him out right there on the ground,” Lopez said.

“The kid was being disruptive, so the umpire’s like, ‘Hey, tone it down,’ maintaining control,” Lopez said. “They went back and forth a little bit.

 

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