PAULS VALLEY, Okla. (KFOR) – An adult soccer referee is facing complaints for shooting a gun in the direction of fans and a soccer player after an argument over a red card.
“When you recklessly shoot a weapon towards a crowd of people,” said Pauls Valley Assistant Police Chief Derrick Jolley. “It’s a miracle no one was hurt.”
Officers said around 4 p.m. on Sunday, at the Pauls Valley Sports Complex near Grant and Indian Meridian, referee Davi Bazeth pulled a red card on a player to eject him from the game.
“Hey! Hey! Hey!” said a spectator on a video of the incident obtained by KFOR News, before the gun was fired.
“The incident started to escalate, got kind of heated, [I] believe there was some pushing and shoving,” said Jolley.
After the scuffle over the red card, the referee is seen on video running off the field toward his maroon Nissan pickup truck. Seconds later, Bazeth can be seen emerging with a gun in his hand.
According to the police report, the red-carded player saw “Davi work the action of the gun, point the gun in the direction of him and the other spectators and players near the playing field, and fire one round from the pistol.”
“It is very dangerous,” said the assistant chief. “It could’ve been a very bad situation. You have families there, you have not only the adult spectators and players, but you have children in the area.”
Police said Bazeth hopped back into his truck, sped off and left the fields in the dust.
However, police said the referee didn’t get very far before Bazeth was pulled over. During the arrest, police said they obtained his .380 caliber pistol from his truck.
“Even small caliber weapons can still produce death,” said Jolley. “Completely reckless.”
Bazeth is facing complaints for feloniously pointing a firearm. He’s set to be arraigned Friday at 11 a.m. in Garvin County.
According to online court documents, this is Bazeth’s first criminal offense.
