A Philadelphia Flyers fan is accusing the Flyers mascot "Gritty" of punching his 13-year old son during a photo shoot for season ticket-holders.

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Now Philadelphia Police are investigating the matter as an alleged "physical assault”.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Flyers season ticket holder Chris Greenwell, 46, of Newark, DE and his 13-year old son Brandon were invited by the team to a Nov. 13 photo shoot with the Flyers popular new mascot.

Greenwell told the Inquirer,

Brandon playfully patted the mascot on the head after the photo was taken. As Brandon walked away, Gritty got out of his chair, “took a running start," and “punched my son as hard as he could."

After the alleged punch, Greenwell emailed officials at Comcast Spectacor, saying...

“I know it was not correct for my son to harmlessly tap him on his head but for a Flyers employee to get [sic] throw a full punch at someone with his back turned and hurt a 13 year old boy is assault, unprofessional and unacceptable for your organization.”

Greenwell said he took his son to see a chiropractor about a week after the incident. The chiropractor noted that Brandon suffered from mild pain and diagnosed him with a back bruise.

Comcast Spectacor officials said there was no proof that Gritty hit the boy, but offered special perks to make up for the “bad experience.”

But the two sides weren't able to come to a mutually agreeable resolution, so Greenwell reported the alleged incident to the Philadelphia Police.

The matter is being investigated by South Detectives Division. A police spokesperson on Tuesday described the case as an alleged "physical assault” that occurred “during a photo shoot with 13 year old white male and Flyers mascot Gritty", according to the Inquirer.

“The investigation is active and on-going,” police said.

Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer

 

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