Man charged for trying to kill estranged wife with butcher knives at child’s flag football game

On Friday, Russell Matthew Husges, 43, of Anaheim, California, charged across the sports complex holding two large butcher knives, according to police.

The 40-year-old victim was sitting down, watching their son warmup on the field at the time, the Orange County District Attorney's Office said via press statement.

"The child saw his father and alerted his mother that Husges was coming up from behind her," law enforcement stated.

"When she turned, she saw the suspect walking towards her, holding kitchen knives in each hand," police reported on Facebook. "She immediately ran onto the playing field, screaming for help with the suspect giving chase."

An off-duty Garden Grove police officer and the youth sports coach both teamed up to disarm and restrain Husges until police arrived.

Husges was charged with one felony count of attempted murder, one count of felony assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm, one misdemeanor count of disobeying a domestic relations court order, and one misdemeanor count of child abuse and endangerment. He faces life in prison, according to police.

The victim had reportedly been granted a family court order against Husges just several weeks before the attack occurred.

"No one should be subjected to violence for making the decision to leave a relationship and no child should have to intervene to stop one parent from attacking another," said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. "The act itself is horrific, but to attempt to carry out this kind of violence in front of innocent children and their parents is the stuff of nightmares."