A youth football coach accused of striking a boy is facing assault charges. Tracey Leong reports for the NBC4 News on Sept. 25, 2023.
A youth football coach was arrested after Murrieta police said he punched a 14-year-old boy during a game over the weekend.
The family of Harlem Kaowili, of Perris, is demanding justice following the Saturday assault. According to the teen’s loved ones, the boy suffered a seizure and a concussion after he was struck by the adult toward the end of a youth football game.
Watch NBC6 free wherever you are
“To watch him seize and pass out because of another adult; I can understand children, but this was an adult who intentionally hit my child in front of me,” said Neenah Kaowili, Harlem’s mother.
The youth league game was played at Vista Murrieta High School, but did not involve a coach within the Murrieta Valley Unified School District.
Get local news you need to know to start your day with NBC 6's News Headlines newsletter.
According to family members, the assault happened right after the game. Neenah Kaowili said her son did not provoke the coach and she was shocked no one came to her boy’s defense.
Now, she’s concerned Harlem may never play again.
“What happens if we don’t get the old Harlem back? What do we do? You get suspended from your league and a slap on the wrist and my son has to deal with this for the rest of his life,” Neenah said in tears.
U.S. & World
The coach, who was not named by police, has since been suspended and banned. The Perris Panthers Youth Football Team says that’s not enough, and they are hoping the Murrieta Youth Football League gets banned.
“They don’t deserve to play football if that’s how they are going to play and that’s the image they are going to keep,” Neenah said.
It’s still unclear what led up to the violence. Witnesses told NBC4 Los Angeles that throughout the game, both teams seemed agitated by plays and calls from the referees.
The Murrieta Youth Football commissioner said he does not condone any violence and wants to apologize to Harlem and his family for what happened.
The investigation is ongoing. It is unclear what charges the coach involved in the attack may face.
