A basketball fan became profanely irate over the officiating at a boys high school game in northwestern Minnesota, ripped the whistle off a referee and tore the referee's shirt before being ejected from the gym, according to a criminal complaint.
Charges: Fan assaulted referee at high school basketball game in northwestern Minnesota
After one call late in the game, the official had his whistle ripped away and his shirt torn, according to the charges.
March 15, 2022 at 4:32PM
Phillip S. Lokken, 45, of Detroit Lakes is scheduled to appear in Becker County District Court on April 28 on misdemeanor assault and disorderly conduct charges in connection with the Jan. 13 incident during a boys game between host Lake Park Audubon High School and visiting Win-E-Mac High School.
Lokken was charged by summons. In response Tuesday to a request for comment about the charges, he told the Star Tribune, "It's not any of your [expletive] business what I did," but he went on to call his actions "a bad decision."
According to the criminal complaint:
Lokken threw a bag of popcorn at the referee late in the game at the school in Lake Park, Minn., after a foul was called on one of the Win-E-Mac players. Lokken then combined a profane gesture toward the official with similar language.
Video coverage of the game showed Lokken being ejected from the gym.
Lokken came down from the stands, grabbed the referee's whistle and ripped it off his lanyard. He also tore the referee's shirt.
The official recalled Lokken getting angry over a call he made earlier in the game, which Win-E-Mac lost 64-54.
Lokken told a sheriff's deputy that he had enough of the bad calls the referee was making throughout the game.
Court records in Minnesota show that Lokken has two convictions for disorderly conduct and one for fifth-degree assault.
Six players plus head coach Garrett Raboin and assistant coach Ben Gordon are from Minnesota. The tournament’s games will be televised starting Monday.
