A violent incident occurred at a children’s soccer game in Manassas, Virginia, when a man allegedly assaulted a coach with a metal water bottle. The suspect, identified as 45-year-old Blerand Hoxha, has been charged with malicious wounding by the Prince William County Police Department.
The incident took place at Hellwig Park, approximately 35 miles southwest of Washington, D.C., on a Saturday afternoon. Hoxha, who was attending the game, reportedly struck a 46-year-old man multiple times in the head with a metal water bottle before fleeing the scene on foot. Police officers responded to the incident and apprehended Hoxha in the vicinity without any further complications.
The victim of the assault, Vince Villanueva, later identified himself as the coach of the soccer team. Villanueva, who is also a coach at Potomac Senior High School, was substituting for a friend during a boys’ team scrimmage that day. He revealed in an interview with Washington Fox affiliate WTTG that he had no prior interaction with Hoxha and only learned of his identity on the day of the interview.
Villanueva recounted the incident, stating that Hoxha had approached him under the guise of wanting to discuss his son’s performance in the game. The conversation quickly escalated, resulting in the violent attack. Villanueva, who was left with black eyes and a scrape across his nose, said the team had been losing the game “pretty badly” at the time of the incident.
Following the assault, off-duty police officers present at the event worked to ensure the safety of the children and defuse the situation. Villanueva, when asked if he had anything to say to Hoxha, declined to comment, stating that the matter was beyond his control.
Medical examinations revealed that Villanueva suffered a fracture to his orbital wall as a result of the attack. The incident has sparked discussions about safety at youth sporting events and the need for stricter regulations to prevent such occurrences in the future.