Man Punched HS Girls Basketball Players, Brandished Gun At Game Last Month

According to Police, an on-court tussle spawned a disturbing incident at a California high school basketball game last month in Corona, Calif.

According to The Los Angeles Times, it happened during a game between the Centennial High Huskies and the Santiago High School Sharks. Players began to tussle for the ball after a foul, and that led to some pushing and shoving.

Nothing odd yet, but what was unusual was the man who jumped out of the stands, onto the court, and punched several high school girls.

An incident report from the Corona Police department says that bystanders intervened and restrained the man.

However, that was not the end of the incident.

The incident occurred in Corona, California. (Getty Images)

Police Say The Suspect Pulled A Gun On Students

As the man left the high school gym, witnesses told police they overheard him mention something about a gun. They must have heard correctly because the man retrieved a handgun from his vehicle and used it to threaten several students in the parking lot before fleeing the scene. Corona Police Sgt. Jason Waldon told The Los Angles Times via email that those students were girls ages 13 to 17.

Corona Police identified convicted felon, 39-year-old Thaddis Brooks of Perris, California as a suspect. They served a search warrant at his home earlier this month. While they weren't able to find any weapons, they did find 40 dogs. Control Services arrived on the scene and determined "there were animal cruelty factors present" given the conditions at the home.

Brooks was soon arrested and slapped with a laundry list of charges. They include Criminal Threats, Brandishing a Deadly Weapon, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Possession of a Firearm on School Grounds, Child Abuse, and Animal Cruelty.

Authorities sought and were granted a $350,000 bail enhancement for Brooks.

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