Father Accused of Tackling Son's Opponent During High School Wrestling Match, Police Say

A father was arrested after he allegedly rushed and tackled his son's opponent during a high school wrestling tournament.

Barry Lee Jones was taken into custody and charged with simple assault and disorderly conduct after the incident in Kannapolis, North Carolina, on Saturday, a spokesperson for the Kannapolis Police Department confirmed to Newsweek.

WBTV reported Jones had been watching his son and the student wrestle at A.L. Brown High School on Saturday when he suddenly rushed at the boy.

The Kannapolis Police Department said Jones tackled the 17-year-old, who attends Southeast Guildford High School in Greensboro, North Carolina, but the student was not injured during the incident, police added.

The teenager, who was not named, was wrestling Jones' son, who attends Hickory Ridge High School in Harrisburg, North Carolina, at the time of the incident.

Fox8 reported that the expert who was on the mat at the time had given hand signals to call the SGHS student's move illegal, according to the North Carolina School Athletic Association.

Witnesses said Jones charged towards the mat from the bleachers and had to be restrained by other adults in the room.

"I looked up, and this guy starts running from the bleachers down to the mat," one witness told WSOCTV.

Another told the station: "At first, I thought maybe someone had gotten hurt or maybe he was going for the referee, but for him to attack the wrestler and start kicking the wrestler, I've never seen that.

"Yes, parents get upset, but never have I seen anyone attack a referee, a parent, a coach."

Another witness claimed other wrestling matches that were taking place at the same time kept going even as Jones allegedly tackled the student

A spokesperson for Cabarrus County Schools told WSOCTV "We have expectations for student decorum and sportsmanship during athletic and extra-curricular events, and our expectations for spectators are no different," the spokesperson said.

"The actions displayed by a spectator at the wrestling match on Jan. 18, 2020, fall far below our expectations. We do not condone his actions."

Jones, of Harrisburg, North Carolina, was booked into Cabarrus County Jail on Saturday on a $1,000 secured bond, police said.

Cabarrus County Schools and Guildford County Schools have been contacted for comment.