WINTER PARK, Florida (WESH) -- Officers were called to a soccer game after a dispute broke out between league officials and a player’s parents, according to the Winter Park Police Department. League officials from the i9 Sports program contacted police for help with a disturbance involving the family and their 3-year-old son, who was playing in a game. ‘The kid is good, he’s great, really good’ The police department released body-camera video on Monday showing separate interactions with the family and soccer league officials. Upon arrival, police met with someone from the soccer league who made the call to police requesting that the family be asked to leave the area in which the soccer games were being played. The man can be heard on the video saying, “The kid is good, he’s great, really good, so what happened is he is very advanced compared to the other ones.” But he said the 3-year-old was allegedly pushing other players, so he told the child and the parents that no pushing was allowed. The man said the child’s parents became irritated and caused a “big scene, arguing with the other parents,” according to the body-camera video. “I just want them out, immediately,” he said. Police said that because the games were being played in a public park, they could not be forced to leave, but that they would meet with the family to figure out what was going on. The league official said that the mother was live-streaming their interactions, and that’s why he walked away from the family. The officers made their way to the other side of the field where the family was. When officers made contact with the family, the mother said they were just confused and didn’t understand why her child was being removed from the soccer games and why they were being asked to leave the park. She went on to say that the game was over, and they were going to leave the park anyway, but they would like to organize a way to get their refund. Otherwise, they’d take the soccer league to court. i9 Sports program officials shared the following statement: “We are aware of concerns being shared regarding an incident at a local i9 Sports program, and we take them very seriously. The respectful treatment and well-being of every child and family matter deeply to us. We have reached out to the family and have begun a review that includes speaking with those involved. While we work to understand the circumstances, we will not speculate or share unverified information. We appreciate everyone who has brought their concerns to our attention.” By Allison Petro & Madilyn Destefano
