A 17-year-old Utah soccer player was charged with third-degree felony homicide by assault on Wednesday after allegedly punching a referee who later fell into a coma and died.
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill, who announced the charge, will attempt to have the teen tried as an adult.
The player, who has not been identified by police because of his age, is accused of having punched 46-year-old referee Ricardo Portillo while serving as a goalkeeper during a recreation soccer game at Eisenhower Junior High in Salt Lake County, Utah, on April 27. Portillo gave the player a “yellow card” for pushing an opponent, according to a police report obtained by .