Gord Brown has been a referee for 25 years and says people yelling at him during a game is nothing new, but what happened on Friday night in Orillia shocked him.
Brown was the Referee-in-Chief for a lacrosse tournament at the Rotary Place. Following the final competition of the night, he says he was approached by a coach who earlier had been ejected from the game.
Brown says the coach refused to leave the arena and instead confronted him.
"I was going down to talk to him. He met me in the hallway, he got into my face, and punched me with a punch I never saw coming," Brown explains.
Police say they arrived to find the referee bleeding. He was taken to a Barrie hospital for his injuries.
Provincial police say 47-year-old Dwayne Palomaki faces a charge of assault causing bodily harm. Palomaki is a coach with the Innisfil Lacrosse Association. He is scheduled to appear in court on July 23.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact Orillia OPP.
