By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2025-01-15 04:24:17 | Updated at 2025-01-15 08:28:13
4 hours ago
A girl’s youth basketball coach in Connecticut is facing a vehicular assault charge for allegedly barreling his car into a parent on the opposing team after a heated argument about the game.
A harrowing video shows 29-year-old coach Bryan Baez-Rivera allegedly plowing into the victim on Saturday morning at the Horace W. Porter School in Hartford, Connecticut State Police said in a news release.
striking a parent with his car following an altercation
after a basketball game he coached. Connecticut State Police
The parent was hit so hard that they tumbled over the hood of the car before slamming down onto the concrete, according to the clip.
The parent was left with “visible” but “non-life-threatening injuries” and was transported to an area hospital for treatment, cops said.
Baez-Rivera is facing additional breach of peace, risk of injury to a minor and reckless endangerment charges, according to state police.
The pair had apparently been shouting back and forth over the basketball game Baez-Rivera had just coached at the school, according to an arrest report released by authorities.
The victim told authorities that they had approached the coach after the game, but that Baez-Rivera “intentionally” struck them with his car when their discussion got out of hand.
Baez-Rivera called police afterward and insisted that the victim had been chasing him before walking directly in front of his vehicle, according to the release.
“Baez-Rivera reported that multiple people then began to chase after his vehicle, and he left the property out of concern for his own safety as well as his passengers, which included minor children,” the release said.
Security video capturing the entire altercation shows the victim chasing after Baez-Rivera’s vehicle and stepping into the street to block his car. However, Baez-Rivera also didn’t appear to slow down and kept driving as he slammed into the victim and drove off, according to the footage.
Baez-Rivera was arrested without incident and released on $5,000 bond, according to the police.
The alleged hit-and-run comes about a month after another off-the-rails youth basketball coach was arrested at a tournament in Pennsylvania after he slugged a referee in the face over a disagreement over one of the calls made.
