Youth Flag Football Coach Accused of Choking Rival Player, 15, After Daughter’s Game: Sheriff

Brandon MayerCredit: Palm Beach County Sheriff's OfficeNEED TO KNOWBrandon Mayer, 37, was arrested for battery by strangulation on Wednesday, Oct. 28The incident allegedly occurred on Oct. 20 after a fight broke out between two teen players after a youth flag football game at Greenview Shores ParkHe was released on bondA Florida youth flag football coach was arrested after allegedly putting a 15-year-old opposing player in a chokehold during a postgame brawl involving his daughter.Mayer was arrested on suspicion of felony battery by strangulation on Wednesday, Oct. 28, and released on bond the following day, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office records. Prosecutors have not yet filed formal charges against him.The incident allegedly occurred on Oct. 20 after a fight broke out between Mayer’s daughter and an opposing team member after the game at Greenview Shores Park in Palm Beach County, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by PEOPLE.A witness told deputies that one of the girls grabbed the other player by the hair and pulled her to the ground.“She started making fun of me for losing the game,” Sophia Lopez, 15, told CBS 12 News. “The one thing I said to her that set her off was, ‘You just fell on your face, and it’s a rec game.’”Mayer allegedly interceded and used a “choking mechanism” on the teen, a witness told deputies, per the affidavit.“It felt everything was so tight,” Sophia Lopez said, per CBS12. “It felt like I was just, I was never gonna get out until I just saw black.”According to the affidavit, the witness reported that Lopez’s father attempted to deescalate the conflict, and the group fell to the ground. The witness said Mayer’s daughter kicked Lopez’s father in the face.Deputies spoke to Mayer, who said he was packing up equipment when he saw the two teens grabbing each other.“Mayer positioned himself between them, placing his arms between the two girls to separate them,” the affidavit states.Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.“Mayer denied grabbing [victim] around her neck or body and demonstrated that his hands were positioned to separate the girls,” according to the affidavit.Mayer’s daughter told deputies that when everyone fell to the ground, both men fell on top of her. “[She] kicked her legs to get loose, striking both her father and [Lopez’s father].”Mayer’s daughter was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor simple battery, according to the affidavit.Read the original article on People