Basketball coach accused of hitting person with car in Connecticut

COLUMBIA, Conn. (WTNH) — A girls youth basketball coach is accused of hitting a person with his vehicle after an argument following a game Saturday in Connecticut, according to state police.

Troopers were called to Horace Porter School in Columbia around 11:20 a.m. for a report of a pedestrian who had been hit by a vehicle.

Once there, state police said they talked to the person who said there was a girls' youth basketball game at the school earlier in the morning. They said they were involved in an argument with the visiting team's coach, identified by state police as 29-year-old Bryan Baez-Rivera of Willimantic.

As the person attempted to approach Baez-Rivera's vehicle in the parking lot, state police said they told them Baez-Rivera intentionally ran into them, causing them to go over the roof and hood of the car before falling to the ground. They were taken to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, state police said.

According to state police, Baez-Rivera said he was involved in an argument after the game, and as he was leaving the parking lot, the person began chasing him on foot. The coach claimed the victim walked in front of his car, and he was not able to stop in time to avoid hitting them.

State police said Baez-Rivera told investigators that multiple people then began to chase after his vehicle, and he left the scene out of fear for himself and his passengers, which included minor children.

In surveillance video provided to state police, authorities said the victim did "approach Baez-Rivera's path of travel, however, Baez-Rivera appeared to have made no attempt to avoid hitting the victim."

Baez-Rivera was arrested and charged with second-degree assault, second-degree reckless endangerment, second-degree breach of peace and two counts of risk of injury to a minor. He was released on a $5,000 bond and is due in court on Jan. 23

State police said the Department of Children and Families was advised of the incident, and the case remains under investigation.