McQuaig Dismissed After Pierce Incident

Running back Arie McQuaig, the second-leading rusher for Pierce College this season, was arrested and subsequently kicked off the team Thursday after an on-campus incident in which he apparently struck his girlfriend.

“Unfortunately, there had been some problems and that was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” Pierce Coach Bill Norton said of McQuaig’s dismissal from the team. “There was an incident (and) there’s no comebacks on this one. He’s a good kid, but he made a mistake.”

McQuaig, a sophomore from Taft High, was arrested Thursday afternoon by campus police, according to Norton. The coach said he understood the charge to be battery.

Officer A. Malone of the Pierce campus police office on Saturday referred all questions regarding the incident to the campus police captain, who returns to work Monday.

Sgt. Craig Lally of the LAPD’s West Valley Division did confirm that a Pierce player was transferred to the station and booked Thursday.

“The (Pierce) campus police completed the report and put him in jail at the West Valley station,” Lally said.

“It was a boyfriend-girlfriend situation. To the best of my recollection, she got punched in the jaw and the jaw was broken.”

Norton said Saturday that he believed McQuaig was still in custody, but Lally said he could not confirm that until Monday.

McQuaig (5-foot-11, 180 pounds) gained 225 yards in three games this season for an average of 4.4 yards a carry. He also caught six passes for 65 yards.

Along with teammate LaShante Parker (the area’s leading rusher), McQuaig gave Pierce one of the top running games in the Western State Conference.