A 21-year-old former baseball player at The Master’s University has been arrested in connection with the assault of an 80-year-old man at Doc’s Inn in Santa Clarita Valley. Owen Hayes, a native of Palmer, Alaska, played for Taft College and was a two-time all-conference selection before transferring to TMU.
According to authorities, Hayes allegedly punched the elderly man without provocation at the bar on February 28. The victim reportedly joked with the assailant beforehand, but the punch came from behind, causing significant bodily harm.
Hayes, who is not listed as a student at TMU anymore, was arrested and released on $50,000 bail just seven hours later. He has no prior criminal record.
The university stated that it takes all violations of its standards seriously, but declined to comment further on the matter. The sheriff’s department is investigating, and Hayes had a court date scheduled for this morning.
Source: https://signalscv.com/2025/03/tmu-baseball-player-identified-as-suspect-in-bar-assault