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Lauryn Ham: Shocking video shows teen, 15, get sucker-punched at basketball game

Lauryn Ham suffered a concussion after she was punched by another player in her chin and throat amid a basketball game

An embattled mother has filed a police complaint after her daughter received a concussion from a brutal sucker punch during a youth basketball game in Garden Grove, California. Lauryn Ham, the 15-year-old daughter of Alice Ham, was seen in a shocking video being caught by surprise by another player, who swung a vicious punch that smashed into her chin and throat, knocking her to the floor.

The Orange County mom said her daughter is in concussion protocol and hasn't been able to attend school or focus on anything for days after the assault. She is instead staying in a dark room and trying to rest, ABC7 reported. While thankfully, the incident did not escalate into tragedy, in 2020, 13-year-old boy Diego died from injuries he sustained during a brutal attack at Landmark Middle School on September 16. He was punched in the head by two bullies and he hit a concrete pillar headfirst when he fell resulting in his death.

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In this case, Lauryn's mom Alice told ABC7 Eyewitness News: "Of course I was in total shock,"  "Just couldn't believe that could happen to my child. You always see things on video and you never think it could happen to you. To actually see it and know that was my kid just hurt me so bad."

The incident took place during a girls' basketball tournament in Garden Grove over the weekend. The video reportedly shows the other team's player missing a three-pointer and falling backward, knocking Lauryn down in the process. The two players get up and head back down the court, moments before the other girl charges at Lauryn and takes the aggressive swing.

According to Ham, her daughter was disoriented when she came home after the game. “The person in question went down the court and shot a 3-pointer, landed, fell backwards into my daughter,” Ham explained. “As they got up and turned and were walking back down to the other side of the court, her mom says to her, ‘You need to hit her for that.’ And the child in question sucker-punched my daughter.” Ham revealed that she filed a police report as she felt "it rises to the level of assault, the way that she does it with such intent and brutal force.”

“We’re very sorry … we want everybody to feel safe. We want everyone to feel secure,” Gary Thomas, CEO of Avac United, the group that hosted the event, told KTLA. “This is an environment where kids should have fun and enjoy and be safe.” Meanwhile, Eyewitness News reported that the girl who threw the punch is the daughter of a former NBA player.

Alice said she was watching her other children play when the alleged assault took place. When she went to pick up Lauryn, she had a bag of ice and needed to be helped into the car. Alice believes the other player's mother provoked the attack. "I can hear pretty clearly the mom (in the video). I know it's the mom because the witnesses at the site told me," she told Eyewitness News. "It's pretty clear that she tells her daughter you have to hit her for that. What 'that' is, I don't know. I don't know what the mom thinks she saw."

The distraught parent has filed a report with local law enforcement but is yet to hear updates on the investigation. "I want the daughter and the mom held accountable," she continued. "Because this type of behavior is reprehensible and cannot happen in youth sports. It can't happen outside of youth sports. If this was taken out of the context and it happens on the street, it rises to the level of assault and battery. This is exactly what it is. The mom incites violence upon my child. And that is never OK. I want the mom to be held accountable for her actions," she added.

ABC7 did not identify the girl who threw the punch considering she's a juvenile. "My client and her family are deeply and sincerely remorseful," Attorney Brett Greenfield, who represents the family of the teen girl who launched the assault, said in a statement to the outlet. "This is an unfortunate incident involving a very hard-working and promising student-athlete. We must keep some perspective and keep in mind that this is a young minor who has made a mistake. The comments on social media in response to this incident are a cause of great concern for both the minor and her family. We would respectfully request that she be given the benefit of the doubt and that her privacy be respected given her young age," the statement added.