Virginia man calls cops after being fouled in basketball game, witnesses say

STERLING, Va. - A friendly pickup game at an LA Fitness in Virginia took a hard turn after a player called sheriff's deputies for being fouled.

"Today for the first time in my life...I experienced someone call the police because they got fouled hard in basketball," reads a viral tweet with a picture of deputies with the two players.

The incident occurred Monday night at the LA Fitness in Dulles Town Center. The man who shared the photo didn't want to use his name, but told FOX 5 the man who called the police also happens to be a regular and has played basketball in the facility many times.

He said the man who called authorities was being blocked by an opposing player, the man wearing the tattoo sleeves, which resulted in him falling to the floor.

"No punches were thrown. Nothing," the witness said. "It wasn't malicious. No hits to the face or anything like that."

According to the witness, the man who fell was extremely upset and told the other player he was calling the police.

"I thought he was joking," the witness said. "I thought he was being extra."

But after making his way to the front desk, the other players knew he was serious.

FOX 5 obtained the call to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, which was made by a front desk worker at the gym. She told the dispatcher the gym member was assaulted on the basketball court.

Another witness posted video on Twitter that shows him asking one of the deputies if he's ever responded to a basketball foul.

"This is my first basketball foul," said the deputy, who says he thought he was responding to a fight.

Gym management confirmed that the incident occurred and the police were called. FOX 5 reached out to see if there was footage of the incident, but the gym said the basketball courts do not have surveillance footage.

The sheriff's office said neither man wanted to file a formal report. Perhaps most bizarre about the incident was that after deputies left, the two men returned to finish the game.

"Everyone kept playing. That's what's so bizarre about the whole situation -- like why did it have to be that serious?" said the witness.

He said he doesn't think there was some bigger issue behind what happened.

"You could tell it was strictly basketball," he said. "There were no racial undertones or anything like that."

FOX 5 reached out to the man who called sheriff's deputies by email, but we have not heard back as of Tuesday night.