Man hits teammate in head with lug wrench after soccer game in Texas, documents say

A Texas man is accused of hitting a teammate in the back of the head with a lug wrench after a soccer match, according to charging documents filed in Harris County.

The victim was one of several people who met up at a soccer field at 11000 South Gessner Road, in southwest Houston, around 11 a.m. on Aug. 6, documents say.

On his team was 36-year-old Pearse Mbaka, a man he had been playing soccer with for three years, the victim told the Houston Police Department.

At one point during the match, the victim lost the ball, sending Mbaka into a rage, according to court documents. Mbaka is accused of threatening his teammate and telling him, among other things, “I’m going to smash your face so your kids don’t recognize you.”

The victim felt afraid for his safety, documents say, but as the game ended everyone began walking back to their cars and Mbaka had not hurt yet him.

Then, in the parking lot, he felt a “heavy blow” from behind, the victim said. His head was bleeding and the pain was immense.

He turned to see Mbaka, one hand holding a lug wrench, and the other wrapped around the grip of a gun tucked into his waistband, documents say.

“Step to me so I can pop you,” Mbaka is accused of saying.

But others saw what happened and started yelling at Mbaka, asking why he hit the victim, according to the documents. Mbaka got into a white BMW and drove away.

A witness told investigators that Mbaka and the victim were both red carded by a referee during the game for playing too rough.

After the game, while the witness was changing out of their shirt and shoes in the parking lot, they saw Mbaka grab the lug wrench from the trunk of his vehicle and run toward the victim, documents say. Houston Fire Department medics arrived at the scene to treat the victim, and he was later taken to a hospital for stitches.

Mbaka is facing a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to court records filed Aug. 11.

This story was originally published August 16, 2022 at 1:30 PM with the headline "Man hits teammate in head with lug wrench after soccer game in Texas, documents say."