A Long Island father is facing criminal charges after being accused of striking an 11-year-old girl during a soccer game last month.
According to court documents, Michael Stallone pleaded not guilty to charges of assault, endangering the welfare of a child and drug possession stemming from the Sept. 28 game in Uniondale.
During the Sunday afternoon game, two girls collided on the field, knocking one of them to the ground and temporarily unconscious.
"Mr. Stallone was feet away from where this happened and just ran onto the field as a reaction to try and assist the player on the field who seemed to be really hurt," Marc Gann, Stallone's attorney, told Newsday. "He may have nudged her out of the way to get to the child on the ground."
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A criminal complaint, meanwhile, alleges the man struck the other girl with "an open hand and elbow."
When police arrested Stallone, they also reportedly found an oxycontin pill in his pocket. His lawyer said the pill is prescribed, and he expects the drug charge to be dropped.
