SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- A local youth football coach is facing felony charges after an altercation that sent a parent to the emergency room.

The incident happened late Saturday afternoon after a National Youth Sports football game between the Island Warriors and the Panthers.

After the game, police said a coach from the Island Warriors confronted a parent of a player on the Panthers for a most unusual reason.

"The coach of the [Island Warriors] team saw a parent on the Panthers team talking to one of his players and he believes he overheard that parent trying to recruit one of his best players away from his team," said San Diego Police Department Lt. Dan Christman.

Christman said the confrontation happened between 32-year-old Island Warrior coach Saivaauli Savaiinea and 32-year-old Mark Cannon, the parent of the Panthers player.

Lt. Christman said Savaiinea confronted Cannon on the sidewalk just outside the eastern side of the Lincoln High School field and the two began arguing.

"The coach threw the first punch and struck the parent on the shoulder and then kicked him in the stomach," Christman said.

Christman said Cannon then began backing away from the blows.

"He tripped and hit his head on the concrete. When he fell and hit his head on the concrete, he may have suffered some serious injuries," Christman said.

10News spoke to a friend of Cannon's, also a coach, who was on the scene moments after he fell. He told 10News, "After I got through the crowd and got to him, he was bleeding pretty badly from one of his ears, so we tried to keep him immobile there."

He said the incident was witnessed by several other parents, cheerleaders and children.

"It should never have come to that regardless of what it was about," said one unidentified coach.

Coach Mario Carmona added, "I think that’s unacceptable. He had no reason to do that."

"We are very surprised that it was this coach," said Josh Kaye of National Youth Sports. "[Savaiinea's] been with us for a while and this is a very isolated incident."

However, Kaye said the League has a zero-tolerance policy and that pending the investigation, the coach will not be able to return to his coaching gig.

Savaiinea was taken to jail and charged with felony battery. He posted $35,000 in bail and was released at 1 a.m. Sunday, according to a dispatcher at the jail. It's unclear whether Savaiinea had retained an attorney.

10News went to Savaiinea's South Bay home but was told by a family member that he was not home.

Cannon was taken to Mercy Hospital, where he underwent a CAT scan to assess the extent of his injuries. Police said he remained conscious and was able to talk. Cannon has since been released from the hospital.

Lincoln High School has four video surveillance cameras on its campus and San Diego police investigators are now going through the video from the camera near the football field to see if the assault was recorded.