Spectators decapitated a referee after he had stabbed a soccer player during an amateur football match in Maranhao, Brazil last Sunday, according to media reports.

The horrific killlings started when referee Otavio Jordao da Silva reportedly suspended player Josenir Abreu from a game last Sunday, according to The Associated Press citing the Public Safety Department of Maranhao.

The 30-year-old player struck the referee and they engaged in a fist fight, according to Brazilian news site Noticias.R7.com. The referee took out a knife from his waist and stabbed the player in the chest. Abrew later died from his injuries as he was taken to hospital, according to the site.

A group of outraged spectators who watched the attack invaded the football field and reportedly tied up the referee. They stoned him to death, quartered and decapitated him and put his head on a stake in the middle of the pitch.

Police arrested one man, Luiz Moraes de Souza in connection with the incident, according to ESPN. Police are reportedly searching for two more suspects.

Tags
Crime