Parent charged in Bloomingdale youth football fight
A Hanover Park man faces a misdemeanor battery charge stemming from a fight during a youth football game last month in Bloomingdale.
Ernest D. Lane, 41, of the 8000 block of North Brockton Court, was charged with battery Sunday by DuPage County state's attorney's office officials based on an investigation by Bloomingdale police and complaints signed by the victim, authorities said.
Lane was one of many parents and players involved in a brawl that erupted just before 4 p.m. Sept. 25 at a game between the Bloomingdale Bears and Hanover Park Hurricanes at Circle Park in Bloomingdale, authorities said. Both teams are part of the Bill George Youth Football League.
Police reports indicate the skirmish started when players fought over the final play of the game. Parents initially entered the field to break it up, but the fight escalated.
According to police reports, Lane is accused of punching another man in the face and head.
At least four people were injured, including a 14-year-old player from Hanover Park who told police a woman poked him in the eye through his face mask.
The player was treated in an ambulance at the scene, according to police reports.
Others reported being struck, including a girl and her mother, but neither filed complaints, Bloomingdale Police Chief Frank Giammarese said. Parents who did not wish to be named told the Daily Herald of more severe injuries, but none of their claims could be verified in police reports.
On Monday, police said they are still investigating.
Both the Bears and the Hurricanes are in the league's 133-pound division — which comprises mostly eighth-graders — and are suspended for the rest of the season. Officials from the league, which oversees both teams, have not responded to repeated Daily Herald inquiries.
The Bill George website lists each team's standings for the season as no losses, no wins and one tie.
Lane's bail was set at $10,000, and he was required to post $1,000 to be released. He will return Nov. 15 to DuPage County court in Wheaton for a status hearing.