The family of a youth wrestler in Illinois is planning to press charges after the teenager was brutally sucker-punched by an opponent at the conclusion of a match earlier this month.
Cooper Corder, an eighth grader at SPAR Academy, won his match against Maine West High School’s Hafid Alicea during an April 8 tournament at Oak Park River Forest High School in Oak Park, Ill. As the two went to shake hands after the match, Alicea acted like he was going to shake Corder’s hand but instead punched him directly in the face.
You can see the disturbing video below:
Disgusting footage from #wrestling match in Des Plaines, Illinois.
Here is Hafid Alicea (Maine West HS) SUCKER PUNCHING Cooper Corder (SPAR Wrestling Academy) after losing 14-2.
Even worse, he fakes a hand shake and then floors Corder after their Freestyle match for 3rd place. pic.twitter.com/UryZ3O5P1M
— Talen Guzman (@TalenGuzman) April 18, 2023
Corder immediately went down and had blood pouring from his nose. His mother, Jillian Hill, was shown rushing to his side in the video.
“I was deeply concerned, because I wasn’t sure if he was knocked out or concussed,” Hill told NBC 5 in Chicago. “I was just concerned that there was so much blood.”
Hill said she initially did not plan to press charges but decided to contact Oak Park police days later. She said she “wanted to make sure Cooper had a voice in this situation.”
Police in Oak Park say the incident remains under investigation.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time we have seen a vicious sucker punch during a high school athletic event.
