BROOKFIELD — Referee Terry From says he was punched multiple times during a youth soccer tournament Sunday.
Brookfield police officers responded to a fight in progress between two soccer teams that were participating in the championship match Sunday at
the Midwest Orthopedic Sports Complex, 19485 W. Lisbon Road, according to a statement released Wednesday by the department.
The teams were identified as FC Wisconsin and San Jose FC from Illinois.
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A 17-year-old Illinois resident was arrested and received a citation for disorderly conduct. Another 17-year-old Illinois resident also was arrested and received a citation for battery. A 12-year-old Illinois resident was arrested and received two citations, one for battery and one for resisting/obstructing an officer.
Two adult males sustained minor injuries during the incident, police said. From, who is from New Berlin, went to an area hospital for further evaluation.
"I looked at him and I said, 'Really?' You’re going to punch me, you know? But he took off running like a coward, then all of a sudden I got hit again," said From as he recalled Sunday's events.
"I was just shocked that they kept swinging at me and hitting me when I wasn’t doing nothing to them."
From said a few days later his jaw still "clicks" when he tries to open and shut his mouth, but it is his back that hurts the most. From said he had a spinal fusion done in the past and he must have been hit in the same area.
Lindsey Herrera, an administrator with San Jose FC in Illinois, painted a different picture of Sunday's events.
She said From put his hands on a 12-year-old's neck and lifted him, prompting another kid to defend him. Herrera added that racist comments made from kids and parents throughout the tournament created tension and played a part in the kids acting out.
From, who responded saying he is Native American and his wife is of Colombian and Nicaraguan descent, insisted he personally did not hear racist comments from crowd.
"If I heard something like that I would’ve stopped the game," said From.
"What I’m hoping is people can see this and I hope that the behavior changes so that this doesn’t happen again," he added.
From said he will continue to call games as long as he is physically able to. From and Herrera said they were unhappy with how Brookfield Police handled the incident.
Here is the statement released Wednesday by the Brookfield Police Department:
"On 3/3/2019, at approximately 1654 hours City of Brookfield Police Officers responded to Midwest Orthopedic Sports Complex, 19485 W. Lisbon Road, Brookfield, WI 53045 for a fight in progress between two soccer teams who were participating in a championship match. The teams were identified as FC Wisconsin and San Jose FC from Illinois. After investigation, a 17 year old Illinois resident was arrested and received a municipal citation for Disorderly Conduct, another 17 year old Illinois resident also was arrested and received a municipal citation for Battery, and 12 year old Illinois resident was arrested and received two municipal citations, one for Battery and one for Resisting / Obstructing an Officer. Two adult males both sustained minor injuries during this incident, and one chose to go to an area hospital for further evaluation. All suspects were cited, booked and released without incident.
"We are not releasing the reports or videos due to the suspects ages."
