CLEVELAND — Cleveland Metroparks Police have arrested a 19-year-old man accused of intentionally hitting another man with his car following a flag football game argument.
Officers were called to Brookside Reservation Sunday afternoon after reports of a pedestrian being struck. When they arrived, they found a man unconscious on the ground. We later learned that the victim was Brian Williams, who was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
Witnesses say the day began as a typical Sunday, with a group of friends — including Williams, Kenneth Whitting and John Wright — enjoying their usual roles refereeing adult flag football games.
“We joke a lot on the field....being funny, acting silly,” said Wright.
But this weekend, things took a turn when a player became upset over a call.
"It was not a call to be made. He was like, 'I’ve told you, I’m about that life. I'm about that life,'” said Wright.
After the game ended, they thought tensions had cooled as they usually do, but Whitting says that the same player made threats toward him.
"He was just like, 'You know what? I got $1,000 for somebody to come down and do something to you at the field,'” said Whiting.
According to court records, 19-year-old Timothy Ruble later drove into the park and confronted a group of referees who had been involved in the earlier dispute with his father moments earlier.
"It's kind of funny. I'm seeing this little kid coming to me like, what you want to do?” said Whitting.
Whitting says Ruble then returned to his car. That's where court documents allege Ruble accelerated, drove off the road, jumped the curb, and intentionally struck Williams before fleeing.
"All of a sudden, he got in his car and just went after Brian on the grass,” said Witting.
Police say Ruble left the scene and hid his car behind his father’s nearby business. He was later arrested and charged with assault, tampering with evidence, and felonious assault. He appeared in court on Tuesday for his arraignment.
This GoFundMe has since been created for Williams, as friends struggle to process what happened.
"He didn't argue with nobody. Didn't deserve it. Like why he had to go to that extreme,” Whitting continued, “Whatever happens on the field should stay on the floor. Should never escalate outside of the field.”
Now, friends are hoping for Williams’ recovery and accountability.
"Justice to be served. With him and his dad going around putting a threat out on somebody, he conspired the whole chain of events,” said Whitting.
Cleveland Metroparks provided the following statement:
“Our thoughts and prayers remain with the victim and their family and friends. Cleveland Metroparks Police Department is actively investigating the incident and working to understand what led up to it. Additional information will be provided as it becomes available.”
Local Referee Organization Concerned
Rocky Neale is the Recruiting and Retention Director for the Cleveland Football Officials Association.
He said he has seen countless incidents of fans getting upset with referee calls, but none as extreme as Sunday afternoon's.
"It was actually chilling. It gave me goosebumps to find out that a fellow official, even though I do not know him, a fellow official can be run over by a car over a call, missed call, whatever, a bad call. We don't know what it was, but to do that to someone is unheard of," Neale said.
Neale acknowledged that violence against referees has declined over the years in school settings, but overall, more support is needed.
"We have pushed to make sure that we have security when we go on the field and off the field, or at least nearby us or escorted here and there. It's gotten better, but we still have some unruly fans that do not know how to behave," Neale said.
Neale wants to see more fans take the course to be certified as a referee so that those who attend games have a better understanding of the position.
It has to go beyond that, though, Neale said.
Since Sunday's incident, Neale said he has heard from 10 to 20 concerned people who have ties to the association.
"It's been a busy day for me," he said. "We need to band strong. I mean, the schools have been good about it, and I think we need to start getting some local politicians on our side as well."
Until a law is passed, Neale said, recruiting new referees has become increasingly difficult.
"We need younger blood, but with these type of incidents, it becomes tougher and tougher to recruit," Neale said. "What I tell them is you will always work with veteran officials. We never throw three or four rookie officials together because that's just asking for trouble."
The Cleveland Football Officials Association will continue to try to recruit new blood, and as they do, Neale said they'll continue calling on local and state leaders to legalize protections for referees.
News 5 has been covering legislation on referee safety measures since 2019, when it was House Bill 208, then House Bill 44, then House Bill 139 and now House Bill 79 in 2025.
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Representative Bill Roemer (R-Richfield) has been pushing for a change in law on this for years.
"I was so shocked to learn from WEWS about this violent attack, that somebody would take a car, run over a sidewalk, hit a referee from a flag football game. It is just astounding, and it brings to the forefront the need for better umpire protection in the state of Ohio," Roemer said.
Roemer said getting it passed hasn't been an issue in the House. The Senate is where it's stalling.
"This is the fourth General Assembly that I've offered my umpire protection bill, and we've really modified it to be a two-tiered approach. It's been difficult," Rep. Roemer said. "There's been some reticence to increase penalties."
As the bill stands right now, though, the first offense would still be considered a misdemeanor. A $1,500 fine would also be tied to that.
The second time would be considered a felony, Roemer said.
Because of this most recent incident of violence, Roemer said he plans to ask the House Judiciary Committee to review the bill once more.
"I literally am taking the WEWS story and sending it to the judiciary chair to try to have this brought up for a vote so that we can vote it out of the House again. Then I'm going to do my darndest to get it passed through the Senate and have the Governor sign it because our referees, our sports officials, they're essentially volunteering, and they deserve these protections," Roemer said.
There are four legislative sessions between now and summer recess. Rep. Roemer is hopeful to get it through the judiciary committee and then the House floor by then.
Until then, Neale said he's gotta work through damage control and maintain the referees he has.
"What do I tell them? What we usually do is try to help out fellow officials. It's hard to say what you tell them because you're sort of overwhelmed at this when it happens, you know what I mean? Help your fellow official, but don't get beat up as well. Distract them as best you can. That's all I can really tell you," Neale said.
We'll Follow Through if and when legislation progresses.
