WINNIPEG, Manitoba, Feb. 17 (UPI) -- A hockey player, 12, was injured in an altercation with a referee in Winnipeg, Manitoba, during a tournament, police said.
The unidentified player suffered a broken wrist, a back sprain and a bruised shoulder after the referee grabbed the player while calling a penalty. The referee slipped on the ice and brought the player down with him, a YouTube posting of the incident Sunday claims.
The video of the game, seen on YouTube, shows referees stepping in to break up a fight between players immediately before the altercation, while a woman's voice can be heard shouting, "Hey, get your hands off our players," before the injured player's coach allegedly left the bench to attack the referee, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Monday.
Winnipeg police said they were called to the hockey arena at the Southdale Community Center Sunday afternoon to deal with a fight between several adults after the game.
"Do I think the referee purposely slammed the boy to the ice? Absolutely not," said community center President Todd Thornton. "He did what he needed to do to break up the scrum so nothing else would continue, and unfortunately ended up on top of the boy."
Police did not confirm the injuries to the hospitalized player, and added an investigation is under way.
The YouTube posting identified the teams as from the Brokenhead Ojibway Nation and the Sagkeeng First Nation, playing in the Southeast Aboriginal Tournament.
