“Of course I was in total shock,” the victim’s mother, Alice Ham, told ABC7. “Just couldn’t believe that could happen to my child.”
When Ham’s daughter returned home after the game, she was confused, according to Ham.
“The person in question went down the court and shot a 3-pointer, landed, fell backwards into my daughter,” Ham said. “As they got up and turned and were walking back down to the other side of the court, her mom says to her, ‘You need to hit her for that.’ And the child in question sucker-punched my daughter.”
Ham said she had filed a police report because she thought “it rises to the level of assault, the way she did it with such intent and brutal force.”
According to the mother, her daughter is still suffering from the effects of the incident days later, and that she is unable to attend school or remain focused.
You always see things on video and you never think it could happen to you,” Ham said. “To actually see it and know that was my kid just hurt me so bad.”
A lawyer has been hired by the family of the girl who threw the punch.
“We’re very sorry … we want everybody to feel safe. We want everyone to feel secure,” Gary Thomas, CEO of Avac United, the group that hosted the event told KTLA. “This is an environment where kids should have fun and enjoy and be safe.”
