Kevin Lomon, an ex-New York Mets pitcher turned Oklahoma high school baseball coach, saved his players from a knife-wielding attacker at a hotel in Shawnee earlier this month.
On August 14, the former pitcher, who also played for the Atlanta Braves and is currently the Cameron High School baseball coach in Oklahoma, subdued a man with a knife who arrived at his team’s hotel after an away game.
According to police accounts, one of the players first noticed the suspect in the hotel hallway and, when the player approached, the suspect confronted him with a knife. The player informed his coach and teammates about the man with a knife after fleeing into his hotel room for protection.
The coach didn’t waste any time confronting the attacker
After hearing the news, Lomon told the players to call 911 while he went into the corridor to evaluate the situation. The coach located the suspect with a knife by the elevator in the corridor. He then repeatedly punched the attacker and held him down until the police showed up.
“It was one of my kids saying that someone just pulled a knife on him,” Kevin Lomon told KFOR News. “So, you know, I’m responsible for 13 high school boys.”
“When the situation was going, I didn’t really think about anything but making sure that nothing happened to them,” Lomon said.
Officers found two knives when they arrived on the scene. After receiving medical clearance at the hospital, police booked the suspect at the Pottawatomie County Safety Center. Police charged him with public intoxication and assault with a deadly weapon.
“He literally put his life on the line for his players, and that’s something that they’re going to remember throughout their life,” said Kevin Lomon’s attorney Joey McCutcheon.
“I don’t think I’m a hero. I just think I would do it again,” Loman said, adding, “They’ve always known I’ll fight for them. But I think this situation might be another level where they know I’ll fight for them.”