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CU football player arrested on assault charges
Katoa, a five-star recruit, turns himself in to Boulder police
Boulder County Sheriff's Office
Lynn Katoa
Photo by Mark Leffingwell
University of Colorado football player Lynn Katoa in Boulder in January.
Salt Lake Tribune
Lynn Katoa
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Boulder police arrested a University of Colorado football player Friday on suspicion of assaulting another CU student at an off-campus party.
Freshman linebacker Lynn Katoa, from Salt Lake City -- one of CU's two five-star recruits in 2008 -- has been enrolled in classesand part of the team since January. He was not the only football player involved in the incident, said Sarah Huntley, spokeswoman for Boulder police.
Katoa, 18, turned himself in on suspicion of second-degree assault, Huntley said. He was released from the Boulder County Jail on a $5,000 bond.
CU coach Dan Hawkins immediately suspended Katoa from competition but not from practice. Spring practices are set to begin Monday.
"We are mentoring our student-athletes to be first-class people, students and athletes," Hawkins said in a statement. "I do not condone our players engaging in violent, personal altercations, or any illegal or unethical conduct."
Katoa also could face sanctions from CU's Office of Judicial Affairs.
Police were called to the "D-House" apartment at 1005 12th St. early Feb. 16 on a report of an assault. Witnesses told police that a member of the football team -- later identified as Katoa -- came through the door, yelling, then pushed one victim's head into the wall and hit him in the forehead while holding a rock in his fist.
The suspect then punched a second victim in the head, police said.
The first victim, Cameron Shafer, was taken to the hospital, where he required stitches. The second victim declined to pursue charges.
Shafer did not respond to an interview request from the Camera.
Huntley said further investigation revealed that the assault stemmed from an altercation that had occurred outside the apartment building earlier.
In the course of the preceding fight, one of Katoa's friends was shocked by a stun gun, angering Katoa, Huntley said. The men with the stun gun -- who haven't been identified -- took off in a vehicle while others chased them.
Katoa is accused of picking up a rock and going inside the home to confront some of the other occupants, Huntley said.
Katoa told the Rocky Mountain News in January that he once was involved in a gang before turning his life around through football in his final three years of high school. Katoa graduated early from Cottonwood High School in Salt Lake City and joined the CU program as the only early enrollee in the 2008 recruiting class.
It is the second year in a row a member of Hawkins' recruiting class has been arrested before playing a game. Last summer, former defensive lineman Christopher Perri was involved in two off-campus fights, including one with a teammate.
It is also the second consecutive year a key member of the linebacker corps has been arrested on suspicion of fighting. Sophomore Michael Sipili pleaded guilty in September to a misdemeanor charge related to a fight in June, in which he severely injured a fellow CU student. That student needed surgery to repair damage to his face.
Posted by dionisus1122 on March 14, 2008 at 3:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)
god damnit
Posted by Saheeb on March 14, 2008 at 3:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)
lovely...dammit dammit dammit!!!!!!! do we have to have an LB a season suspended for stuff like this.
Posted by salsajohn on March 14, 2008 at 3:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Fing**** Fu**
Posted by phibuffa on March 14, 2008 at 4:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)
This really stinks. I hope Katoa realizes this kind of stuff happens everywhere and you just have to walk away because typically you have more to lose than the other guy. Ugh. Just when things were looking Mighty Golden...nevertheless...let's move on.
Posted by 20buff on March 14, 2008 at 4:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)
When Judicial Affairs gets ahold of him, he's done. It won't matter if he was provoked or not, he will be finished for a period of time, however long that may be is anybody's guess. Too bad for the program.
Posted by MadCityBuff on March 14, 2008 at 5:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Not good at all to say the least. The fact that he had the rock in his hand exacerbates the situation, it's a weapon.
Young men will make rash decisions. He's got another young LB to lean on for advice in this situation, and hopefully he learns from this, or its gonna be a very short career for Lynn as a Buff.
Lets get ALL the facts before we vilify the kid, which Hawk will do. After that, lets council him to become a better citizen. The other parties involved should get some of that too. Ugh....
Posted by Saheeb on March 14, 2008 at 5:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)
That took what, three weeks? What do you think the foster parents of his friend John Martinez, the stud lineman from UT are thinking about sending him to CU now....? How about Kaufusi? This stinks and cound wreak more in so many ways. F--ing hell!
Posted by ralphie9677 on March 14, 2008 at 5:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Flippin A!! Not what we needed. He'll get a suspension of some sort if past decisions are any guide.
Posted by ChicagoBuffsFan on March 14, 2008 at 5:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Looks like we lost another stud linebacker for yet another year.
Posted by reallifeshocker on March 14, 2008 at 6:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)
knuckleheads need to know that there are individuals out there that will try their darndest to provoke them.
Posted by jimmylBuff on March 14, 2008 at 6:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Not Good at all. Let's just hope this guy does not transfer.
Nebraska still sucks!
Posted by nolanjp on March 14, 2008 at 7:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)
He's 18 years old, and should still be high school. I doubt all of you never made irrational decisions. He's a Fuc*king kid!!!!
Posted by NJBuff on March 14, 2008 at 8:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Not the news we want to hear. He's done for at least a semester don't you think?
Posted by extrapoint on March 14, 2008 at 8:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
a semster?
he is terminal toast.
The judicial affairs committee will now say that the example they made out of Sipili was way inadequate.
I used to walk with football players across campus. More than once some hypocrite hippie type would walk up and taunt and mock unmercifully just begging to get the crapp kicked out of em "marytr style." The players I hung with wouldnt even let me cold cock em.
These guys are also constant targets for macho deprived types who want to prove how bad they are.
Posted by ChicagoBuffsFan on March 15, 2008 at 7:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Well, if they make him sit out a semester like Silipi, maybe he could redshirt that year. He seems like a mature enough kid to know he screwed the pooch on with this. Can't blame him though. Somebody uses a stun gun on my friend, I'm going to want to kick somebodys a@@ too. I'm curious to see the police report; Kyle, hope to it.
Posted by seanspradling on March 15, 2008 at 7:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)
as bad as this is...I am startign to want some Samoan friends. If I get hit with a stun gun it would be best if my friends didn't pick up rocks and crush people heads in but I would likethem to defend me a bit.
Lynn, things are about to get ugly for you my man. Talk to Michael about his time off campus, he seems to have made the most of it. Work hard and there will be a place for you with us next year. Good Luck
Posted by montanabuff on March 15, 2008 at 8 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Sad, sad, sad.
The timing couldn't be much worse, what with all of the renewed optimism heading into spring practice. There is just no margin of error for the CU program when it comes to its reputation in the community. Let's just hope that Katoa learns from this, and that his career isn't over before it begins.
Posted by rodrigo on March 15, 2008 at 8:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)
From the Boulder County Bar Association:
"Second degree assault, C.R.S. ยง 18-3-203, is a class 4 felony and can also be committed in a variety of ways. A person commits second degree assault if the person a) intends to cause bodily injury to another person and causes such injury with a deadly weapon; b) intends to prevent a peace officer or firefighter from performing a lawful duty and intentionally causes bodily injury to any person, c) recklessly causes bodily injury to a person with a deadly weapon, d) intentionally causes the physical or mental impairment of another person by administering drugs or other substances to that person without that person's consent, e) is lawfully confined and knowingly and violently applies actual physical force against a peace officer, firefighter, judge, court officer or detention facility employee.
Second degree assault is generally a class 4 felony. It is reduced to a class 6 felony if it was committed upon a sudden heat of passion. It is increased to a class 3 felony if it is committed during the commission of, or flight from, certain serious felony offenses."
Class four is punishable by a prison sentence of 4 to 48 years. Class six is six months to four years.
All speculation on my part but it sounds like there might be some mitigating circumstances - which makes it different than the Sipili case, so it could end up a class 4.
It'll all be in the details...
Posted by CaliBuff on March 15, 2008 at 8:16 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This sucks. Extremely selfish move. These players need to realize the consequences of their stupid actions.
Posted by Ralphie2 on March 15, 2008 at 8:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)
He's a kid. He should learn from these mistakes then move on.
Posted by badbuff on March 15, 2008 at 10:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Jeez...I thought we had turned the corner on this stuff.....
and Katoa wasn't even initially involved.....Sipili was sticking up for a friend when his fight went down.......
Might be time to find some new friends.....
Posted by MDBuff on March 15, 2008 at 1:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I hope Lynn gets his life back on track. Fortunately for the Buffs, they have a lot of depth at LB with Jones, Sipili, Smart, Mohler and Major.
Posted by houston_buff on March 15, 2008 at 4:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Let's see how this gets spun. The athletic department has been castrated by the school so I have a feeling Lynn may be transferring or sitting out a while. I don't know the inner workings but several on the site do. Why can't a "big brother" be assigned to check in a couple times a day/night on the young guys? Lynn isn't even a fall freshman yet and this happens. Dude should not even be off campus during the week and should have a chaperon on the weekends. What the F? Who is hanging out where there are stun guns?!? If he is guilty he picked the wrong time and place to be given second chances. That only happens a few places anymore, like Austin. Certainly takes a shine off the spring game which is only a few weeks away. BTW-headed to Taos for spring break for the first time ever. Snowboarding on the mountain for the first time is allowed on the 19th. Anybody have any insite on the apres ski or tsv?
Posted by WhosYourDaddy on March 16, 2008 at 9:25 a.m.
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Posted by cubuffone on March 16, 2008 at 5:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)
It's Barnett's fault. The f..ing guy needs to keep a rein on his players. or allthe $$ he is getting paid, he should be able to control his kids better- what the hell is he doing?
Posted by rswright on March 16, 2008 at 8:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The very existence of the athletic department depends on football making money. Can you imagine the impact these headlines have on the people of Boulder? Also the internet is buzzing with CU players again causing another scandal. Who is going to support a team when the players can't stay out of jail? The last scandal cost 2.3 million to 2 girls who attended a football party. These guys are given everything and look how they act. Toss them out, make an example of them to the rest of the team before it happens for a third time.
Posted by Buffaloed on March 17, 2008 at 10:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Isn't that a bit of a premature judgment? Has anyone seen the police report or have any facts on what actually took place? Even Kyle knows the reporters don't always get it right.
Posted by buffalo_flyer on March 18, 2008 at 9:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)
No big deal....as long as no women got hit ala l_phillips....I have no problem with a bit of fisticuffs, Katoa probably would have redshirted anyways
I'd really like to see WVU and CU at full strength come Sept 18. We have a golden opportunity to not only jump back into the top 25 but to rub a little dirt in Oklahoma's face as well
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