Man chokes 11-year-old after ‘trash talk’ in playground basketball game, Kansas cops say
A Kansas man is facing charges after police said he attacked a child during a pickup basketball game at a school playground.
River Daniels Norberg, 21, of Salina was playing basketball at the Oakdale Elementary School playground with two 11-year-olds and a 12-year-old on Feb. 25 when they began to exchange “trash talk,” KAKE reported, citing the Salina Police Department.
As the trash talk escalated, Norberg attacked one of the 11-year-olds, putting him in a chokehold, the outlet reported.
The other two children pulled Norberg off the boy, but he attacked him again, KSAL reported.
The 11-year-old had a scratch above his eye but did not require medical treatment, the outlet reported.
Norberg fled the scene but was arrested without incident a few blocks away, according to the Hays Post.
Norberg is charged with aggravated battery, two counts of battery and disorderly conduct, court records show. McClatchy News reached out to the man’s attorney Feb. 28 for comment but did not immediately hear back.
Salina is about a 90-mile drive north from Wichita.
This story was originally published February 28, 2025 at 10:25 AM.
