Violence on the Court

A pickup basketball game at the Fountain Valley Recreation Center turned violent when one player severely beat another over a disputed foul call, police said Friday.

James Hundley, 36, of Garden Grove suffered a skull fracture that may result in permanent brain damage when he was punched by another man, said Fountain Valley police spokesman Sgt. Jim Perry. The man remains at large.

“It’s totally senseless,” Perry said. “This all stems from a basketball game.”

The beating occurred about 1 p.m. Sunday. The two men played on opposing teams. During the game, a foul was committed against one of the players on the assailant’s team, which resulted in an argument between Hundley and the man being sought, Perry said.

The game continued, but when Hundley came down with a rebound, the man “cold-cocked” him with a fist to the face, Perry said.

“He never saw it coming. He gets hit one time, he goes straight down to the ground, and his head hit the pavement,” Perry said. “The suspect then stood over him and said, ‘Now, that’s a foul.’ ”

The assailant, known to police only as “Willie,” left the playground’s basketball court with another man, and the two jumped into an early-1990s white sedan, according to police.

Hundley was taken to a hospital, where he underwent brain surgery and remained in critical condition Friday. Doctors are trying to determine whether he suffered brain damage and whether he will need long-term care.

Hundley’s brother said basketball is an important part of the victim’s life but that this wasn’t the first time the game became violent.

“He has a routine, and he does the same thing every week: basketball on Sunday and basketball on Wednesday,” said Patrick Hundley of Garden Grove. “James has been punched out three times down there. My other brother, Blake, got his jaw broken about 10 years ago.”

At the recreation center Friday, basketball players expressed shock at the incident but said the game sometimes gets out of hand.

“It’s friendly, but sometimes it gets too physical when people don’t get the calls they want,” said Johnny Lee of Fountain Valley. The man is described as 35 to 40 years old, 5 feet 9 inches, 210 pounds, with short black hair and brown eyes. He wears four earrings in his left ear and a tongue ring.

Anyone with information about the attack is asked to call the Fountain Valley Police Department at (714) 593-4485 or Det. S. Long at (714) 593-4495.