Plum Police To Interview Witnesses After Football Player Allegedly Assaulted By Coach

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PLUM (KDKA) - Plum Police Chief Jeff Armstrong confirmed to KDKA that the department is investigating an alleged incident after Friday night's high school football game.

Chief Armstrong said they will now work to interview the alleged victim and witnesses who were present inside the team locker room.

"Contusions, bruising, pretty severe bruising on the neck," said attorney David Shrager. "There certainly is a crime called strangulation."

Shrager said the player's grandmother and caretaker alerted police and requested legal representation on Saturday, just hours after the alleged incident. Shrager said the player's grandmother sent him photographs that allegedly depict injuries sustained during an altercation between the player and a team coach.

"Plum has had a lot of difficulties and everyone in the community knows that and yet they keep having difficulties," said Shrager. "I'm not sure why, but there seems to be a lot of people who want to put hands on children there and adults should not do that."

Shrager said he's still working through the facts of the case, but said the interaction appears to have been "inappropriate."

"Well my understanding is he grabbed him by his neck, slammed him, injured him and there are photographs that show these injuries."

CONFIRMED: The Plum Police Chief tells me the department will now begin interviewing all the alleged witnesses of this alleged locker room incident at #Plum High School between a football player and coach. NEW DETAILS @ 12 on @KDKA pic.twitter.com/DpOgY8pVly

— Meghan Schiller (@MeghanKDKA) October 1, 2018

Chief Armstrong told KDKA that the department cannot release the incident report since the victim is a minor, but said he will release more details once the department completes its interviews. He also said that the department has only discussed this alleged incident with the school's student resource officer who works for the department as well.

"Whatever the situation, whatever words were spoken, it is completely and utterly inappropriate for an adult man to manhandle a boy in a locker room and slam him and give him bruises," said Shrager. "This is inappropriate. In fact, the other coaches came running out and pulled him off- so other adults didn't think that was appropriate."

The school district has issued the following statement:

"The Plum Borough School District is fully cooperating with the Plum Boro Police Department, and we are awaiting the findings from their investigation before we draw any conclusions.  All state laws, district policies and procedures to maintain the health, safety, and welfare of our students were properly followed upon learning of this alleged incident.  As always, the safety of our students will be our first priority."