The Muskegon Chronicle reported today that a soccer game between two private schools, Muskegon Western Michigan Christian and Hudsonville Freedomville Christian, had to be halted when an assistant coach noticed a man sporting what appeared to be an openly holstered gun.
The assistant, Dave Hulings, told Muskegon Western's head coach, Fred Vandenbrand, who then asked the man -- whose identity is still unknown -- to leave the premises. The man returned to his car, deposited what Hulings and Vandenbrand believed to be the gun, then returned to the bleachers.
The game was stopped shortly thereafter.
Even though his holster was now empty, some parents were still concerned, uncertain as to whether the gun was still in the man's possession. After expressing their concerns to the Muskegon Western coaching staff, it was decided that the remainder of the game would be cancelled.
"I thought it was necessary to clear the field of players and parents," Hulings told The Muskegon Chronicle. "It is regretful that the boys on both teams could not finish. I am sorry for the inconvenience, but I thought it best to err on the side of caution."
He did, however, insist that he "personally ha[s] no objection to, and do[es] support, the right carry," he just also believes that "the school has a right ... to ask him to leave." Police were called to the field, but neither school officials nor the coaching staff knows whether the man responsible for the scare was questioned.
Raw Story contacted the Muskegon Police Department, but was unable to reach an official spokesperson. The officer Raw Story talked to wouldn't speak about the specifics of the case, but he said that it's "telling, very telling that no charges filed, because when people are an actual threats, [the MPD] ask them for IDs."
This officer, who wishes to remain nameless, went on to say that "some of these new phone, new iPod holsters look a little too real, so sometimes you get calls about 'suspicious' people who are only a danger to society when they're texting behind the wheel."
Raw Story placed calls with both high schools involved with the incident, and will update the story should it hear back.
["Soccer players in red shorts" on Shutterstock.]
