Post game chaos as Attleboro Police chief shoves teen

ATTLEBORO, Mass. — A video sent to Boston 25 with thousands of views shows a young woman screaming at a teen. Then in steps off duty Attleboro Police Chief Kyle Heagney who shoves a teen. Boston 25 spoke with Attleboro’s mayor, Paul Heroux.

“It was a situation where there was a lot of chaos going on,” said Mayor Heroux.

The mayor says there had been a melee before on and off the ice in a game between Dighton, Rehobeth, Seekonk against Norton.

Mayor Heroux says he watched the video more than 2 dozen times several with Heagney asking the chief to explain what happened.

“He observed there was a girl and some people screaming at this kid who is about 17 years old. Telling him to get out of here go away.” said Mayor Heroux.

The teen then approached the referee.

“That’s when the chief thought the ref might have been in danger. (He) forcefully pushed the kid away from the ref, identified himself as a police officer, and told the kid to get out of here. He was basically trying to keep the peace. And restore order,” said Mayor Heroux.

People watching screamed. You can hear someone yell it’s the police chief.

A second person was being escorted out by staff and the chief tells him to move along.

Amid the chaos, a man blocks the chief and he again shows his badge.

“And then there was a third person who was not aware that the police chief was a police officer and that’s when the chief identified himself and then the person said OK I understand,” said Mayor Heroux.

People who saw the video feel the chief, whose son plays for Norton, overreacted.

But parents outside the New England Sports Village sided squarely with the chief.

“Honestly, I thought the kid was maybe getting out of hand,” said Stacey Farrell from Attleboro.

Others say the video doesn’t show what lead up to the chief’s reaction.

“It doesn’t obviously show and have them before and it doesn’t show it have an after it so I don’t think that you can make a judgment on what it is,” said another parent who declined to give her name.

As for the chief, the mayor says he will not be disciplining him.

“He used the right force at the right moment to get that kid away from the ref and then he stopped,” said Mayor Heroux.

As for that teen, the mayor says he’s facing charges including disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, and resisting arrest.

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