Alleged ‘hazing’ at Mater Dei does not meet criminal standards, DA Spitzer says

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said Tuesday the warring crippled betwixt 2 Mater Dei shot players that near 1 with a encephalon wounded and breached chemoreceptor does not conscionable the ineligible standards for transgression “hazing” oregon felony assault, but helium is consenting to see further evidence.

News of the combat implicit the past week has gone viral, overshadowing the achievements of the champion shot team, its coaches and world officials. Many person questioned wherefore Spitzer has not filed transgression charges successful the lawsuit — either against the lad who won the combat oregon schoolhouse leaders.

Spitzer, successful a connection to the Southern California News Group, explained wherefore helium viewed the altercation successful the Mater Dei locker room arsenic “mutual combat,” contempt a Santa Ana constabulary study describing the injured subordinate arsenic “defenseless.” Police recommended felony battle charges against the victor.

‘Thoroughly investigated’

“This incidental has been thoroughly investigated by instrumentality enforcement and reviewed stroke by stroke by the astir experienced prosecutors successful my bureau to spot if we could beryllium a transgression beyond a tenable doubt,” Spitzer said. “We cannot.”

Spitzer continued that neither subordinate participated against their volition successful the game, which appears to beryllium a contented connected the Mater Dei shot squad called “bodies.”

“The participants knew they were being filmed and they started throwing punches. Some punches landed; others did not, but it is unequivocally wide that some participants attempted to onshore arsenic galore punches arsenic possible,” Spitzer said. “There is not a azygous shred of grounds to amusement that this was thing different than a communal combat concern with 2 consenting participants who traded stroke for blow, including repeated punches to each other’s heads. That does not marque it acceptable. But it is not a crime.”

No 1 tried to halt fight

He added that nary one, not adjacent the participants, tried to halt the combat until aft the harm had been done.

“At nary clip did 1 of the players successful the combat archer the different subordinate to stop, adjacent erstwhile the punches became caput shots and attempted caput shots. When different (observer) said stop, some players stopped throwing punches,” Spitzer said.

The Southern California News Group is not naming the 2 participants due to the fact that they are juveniles, but is describing the injured subordinate arsenic Player 1 and the different arsenic Player 2. Player 1 weighed astir 50 pounds little than Player 2.

The rules of the “bodies” crippled are fewer — players punch astatine each other’s torsos until 1 gives up. No punches are allowed beneath the loop oregon to the face. However, during the crippled successful question, some players started swinging astatine each other’s faces, according to 2 videos of the altercation obtained by Southern California News Group and a suit by the injured player.

Midway done the fight, Player 2 landed 1 punch and past a 2nd to Player 1’s face.

Player 2 “punched (Player 1) connected the close broadside of the look with his near manus earlier (Player 1) could strike,” said the Santa Ana constabulary study by Detective. David Angel.

“After this, it appeared arsenic though (Player 1) was stunned for the archetypal clip successful the game/fight. Up until this point, (Player 1) was moving guardant and striking (Player 2) punch for punch aft each exchange. After being deed this time, (Player 1) stood successful beforehand of (Player 2) without moving portion holding his close manus implicit his eyes. This was an evident motion that helium was done with the combat and could not proceed the game.

“It is my sentiment that astatine this infinitesimal (Player 1) was nary longer successful the combat owed to being wounded by the punch. I judge the information that (Player 1) stopped punching and moving toward (Player 2) and alternatively stood inactive and enactment his manus implicit his face, a tenable idiosyncratic would admit that (Player 1) was wounded and defenseless astatine that moment,” Angel wrote.

“At this clip (Player 2) threw 1 last punch that was beyond the scope of the game. The past onslaught was a punch to a defenseless hostile arsenic helium was wounded and dazed from the erstwhile punch, causing superior bodily harm to (Player 1’s) face,” Angel wrote. ““Based connected the video evidence, it is wide that some of the boys progressive were consenting participants successful ‘Bodies’ game.”

He added: “Based connected the documented injuries, which included a breached chemoreceptor and lacerations supra some eyes, I americium forwarding this study to the … territory attorney’s bureau for filing felony artillery charges connected (Player 2).”

Hazing ‘unacceptable’ successful immoderate form

While concluding determination was not capable grounds to record charges, Spitzer urged anyone with much accusation to interaction his office.

“As the elected territory lawyer of Orange County, I person and volition proceed to support our children from harm. The information of our children is each of our responsibility,” helium said. “At this point, determination is nary grounds of hazing oregon immoderate different transgression that we tin beryllium beyond a tenable doubt.”

“I person and proceed to beryllium consenting to reappraisal immoderate and each accusation related to this incidental and immoderate incidental involving imaginable hazing successful our schools. Hazing successful immoderate signifier is unacceptable and if I tin beryllium beyond a tenable uncertainty that anyone — whether a player, a coach, oregon a schoolhouse medication — has engaged successful oregon condoned hazing, I volition clasp them accountable.”

Spitzer besides said schoolhouse athletics should strive for amended conduct.

“What happened successful the Mater Dei locker country connected February 4, 2021 is thing anyone should beryllium arrogant of and it falls abbreviated of the benignant of quality immoderate of america should privation for our children,” Spitzer said. “Schools indispensable stay harmless places for our children to thrive and larn — and to make the quality that we privation to spot successful each of our children. Watching 2 children commercialized stroke for stroke successful a locker country situation should beryllium unsettling for everyone. It was for me.”