Massive Brawl Breaks out at AAU Basketball Game in Indiana

A girl’s AAU basketball game in Westfield, Indiana got violent when a referee, player and several spectators were involved in a massive brawl at midcourt, according to the Indianapolis Star. The bawl led to one team being ejected from the tournament. Everything occurred over the weekend at the Prime Midwest Event at the Pacers Athletic Center during a game between Baylor Basketball and Indiana Elite. Baylor was trailing late in the first quarter when its coach began arguing with the referee over a call. It led to the coach getting hit with a technical foul, which then resulted in her picking up her bag to leave the game. The coach’s plays and other team staff began to leave the court as well.

The referee started to make his case with the team as a spectator approached him. Video footage shows the referee punching the spectator, which prompted a Baylor player to attack the referee. Another spectator joins the attack, and the referee is then flipped by a person and lands on the court while the player punches him four times.

“Yes, it was an unfortunate incident that we had to address this weekend,” Evan Suttner, president of the Pacers Athletic Center told the Indianapolis Star in an email Thursday. The Indianapolis Star also reported that the Westfield Police is looking into the brawl. Baylor was reached for a comment, but the Indianapolis Star didn’t hear back from them.

The center said in a statement”We are disappointed that this altercation happened, as we strive to provide a great experience for families.” The center’s statement also revealed that the altercation happened during “a third-party event company’s tournament that was hosted in our building.” The video of the brawl led to a number of responses on social media.

“Everyone in this was wrong, the coaches’ actions/teachings were awful,” one fan wrote. “Walking out because of a bad call…great message to kids..guy filming up in the refs face tryna be instafamous wasn’t helping & the ref needs to keep his hands to himself…they all failed & failed those kids.” Another fan wrote: “The ref was definitely in the wrong, however, it is AAU regulation that no parents are ever allowed on the court…. all parties are wrong here including the coaching staff that quit on their kids.”