A chess grandmaster had a crazy meltdown which led to him reportedly punching a female videographer at a championship game.
Last week, Christopher Yoo, 17, had a violent tantrum that led to him assaulting a female videographer after losing the US Chess Championship to defending champion Fabiano Caruana.
Local authorities who responded to the call said that the teen had struck a 24-year-old woman in the back with his fist, per Metro.
According to the US Chess Federation, Yoo was later arrested and charged with fourth-degree assault, with the matter being sent to juvenile court to deal with.
In a video that was released on social media, the teenager was also seen ripping up his scorecard before storming out of the venue.
Since the incident, Yoo and his family have issued two separate apologies, taking into consideration the competitor's "mental" state.
"Christopher wants to publicly apologize to the female videographer who was an innocent victim of his anger," his parents said in a lengthy statement. "Contrary to what some have suggested, the videographer did nothing to provoke Christopher."
"Christopher offers no excuses for his behavior. He is just very sad and ashamed he behaved in that way," they continued. "Many people have expressed concerns about the mental well-being of our 17-year old son. As parents we more than share their concern."
"Something like this has never happened before and he will be getting therapy to help make sure his mental well-being is properly cared for and that something like this will not happen again," they added.
The young star also published his own apology in which he stated that he "lost [his] temper" after losing the match against his opponent.
"I am really sorry for hitting the videographer. I was disappointed losing the game to Caruana and lost my temper," he said (translated). "That’s no excuse, I know. I’m really sorry for what I did. It was a serious mistake. Every day I wish I could go back in time and undo it, but I can’t.
"I am very sad for what I did and I hope the videographer is OK," he added.
As a result of his violent behavior, the tournament’s host, the Saint Louis Chess Club, expelled Yoo from the competition and banned him from the facility for his "gross violation of code of conduct and the US chess safe place policy."
Chris Bird, the tournament’s chief arbiter, annulled the results of his previous games stating that the event coordinators "take player conduct seriously and do not tolerate violations of our standards."
"We acted swiftly to address this situation, ensuring a respectful and safe environment for everyone involved in the tournament," they added in the statement.
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