South Fulton coach arrested after 12-year-old knocked out
Coach arrested after 12-year-old knocked out
Police now say the coach has been arrested for allegedly slamming a 12-year-old player to the ground during practice at Old National Park, knocking the child unconscious.
SOUTH FULTON, Ga. - A youth football coach in South Fulton is facing felony and misdemeanor charges after police say he slammed a 12-year-old player to the ground during practice at Old National Park earlier this week.
Coach charged
What we know:
Police now say the coach has been arrested for allegedly slamming a 12-year-old player to the ground during practice at Old National Park, knocking the child unconscious.
PREVIOUS STORY: Child injured, coach detained during football practice at Old National Park
According to an arrest warrant obtained by FOX 5, the coach, identified as Jonathan Richard Sagers, grabbed the boy by his shoulder pads and threw him down during an argument about a play. Witnesses told police the boy lost consciousness on the field.
ORIGINAL STORY: Juvenile injured during football practice at South Fulton's Old National Park
Sagers reportedly told officers he was demonstrating a football technique, but investigators said they did not believe his explanation. He is charged with felony cruelty to children and misdemeanor battery.
The warrant also states Sagers taunted the child after the incident. The boy was treated at the scene and is now recovering at home with his parents, authorities said.
Records show Sagers was previously arrested by Atlanta police on Aug. 29 on separate charges, including drug possession, a gun offense and obstruction of law enforcement. He is currently being held at the Fulton County Jail.
What they're saying:
"Mr. Sager's based on evidence that had been attained during this investigation that he had inflicted harm to this child in which he was charged on a felony count of child endangerment and also for battery," the city’s public safety director said. "We have witness statements and we have other evidence as well too, even based on Mr. Sager statement of his interaction with the child, the child of course, and other witnesses who were there. And they were able to compile the information, the facts, and we only move on facts here in South Fulton, but they gathered the facts as it came to them."
Many in the football community said they were relieved by Sagers’ arrest, calling it a sign that South Fulton police took the case seriously.
South Fulton Police investigating
What's next:
According to South Fulton police, Sagers passed a background check in late July, prior to joining the football team as a volunteer coach. The warrants were taken out on Sagers in August. The investigation remains active and ongoing.
One resident at the park said coaches should be mentors, not aggressors. "Anybody that assaults a child in a park that is supposed to be a coach, yes, you should be arrested," the witness told FOX 5.