A player on the Carlisle High School basketball team in Iowa has been charged with a felony after appearing to punch out an opposing player in the handshake line at the end of Tuesday night’s game.
According to to police, 17-year-old Carlisle senior Carter Prenosil is suspected of punching Ty Dittmer, a player on the Nevada High School basketball team, in the head and stomach. A police report viewed by Des Moines’ KCCI confirmed that Prenosil was arrested and is now facing a felony charge of willful injury.
A video of the fight has gone viral on social media. It shows a player walking through the handshake line with the opposing team, then raising his fist and repeatedly punching another player, who falls to the ground. The punches appear to hit the Nevada player in the stomach and head.
The criminal complaint said that Dittmer was punched unconscious and suffered a concussion, as well as a cut to his lip that required four stitches.
“The whole gym went crazy. No one knew what to do or nothing. And the Nevada guy was out for a good couple minutes. You could tell something was definitely wrong with him,” Carlisle High School student Adam Olinger told KCCI.
The origin of the fight isn’t officially known, but according to students who were there, Prenosil and Dittmer jawed at each other at the end of the game.
“He said something during the game that Carter didn’t like so at the end, Carter went up and finished it. Which was a little way too beyond if you ask me. He didn’t have to go that far,” said Carlisle High School student JayJay Noring via KCCI.
According to WOI-TV, Prenosil has been released on bond, and the investigation is ongoing. Nevada superintendent Dr. Steve Gray said in a statement that Dittmer “is going to be alright.”
