Webster G. Taracatac
THE Office of the Attorney General’s Criminal Division declined to charge the two individuals involved in an altercation during a basketball game that led to the spinal injury of Webster G. Taracatac.
Taracatac, also known as Webb Gontar, was seriously injured during a playoff game of the Alpha Kappa Rho 1st Semi-Open Invitational Basketball League 2025 on March 21, 2025.
In a memorandum on April 23, 2025, Chief Prosecutor Chester Hinds said: “Fights or scuffles during sports games are often seen as part of the game. Actions that go beyond the accepted norms of the sport, such as excessive violence, or premeditated attacks, could be charged criminally depending on severity of the injury sustained.”
He said they considered aggravated assault and battery, and/or assault and battery as possible charges.
Hinds identified Aiden Suba as the person who was mainly involved in the scuffle with Taracatac.
“For the Commonwealth to charge a person …, the Commonwealth must believe that the act that caused the harm was done intentionally, and that there is enough evidence to be able to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt,” Hinds said.
The Department of Public Safety investigated the fight that took place, he added.
DPS interviewed members of both teams, the referees and league officials as well as some of the people in attendance.
DPS also reviewed the video of the fight.
In this incident, Hinds said, “the basketball game was in progress, when Taracatac went up for a rebound. At that time, players from the opposing team swiped at Taracatac, trying to get the ball. The closest opposing player, Johnsonlee Suba … made physical contact with Taracatac’s arm and then backed up with his arms up to play defense. The referee called a foul on Suba and stopped the game.”
Taracatac, in a statement, said he was elbowed by another player.
But Hinds said the “surveillance video does not show when that happened. If Taracatac was elbowed during an attempt to get rebound that would still be within the scope of the game.”
“After getting the rebound, and getting swiped at by Suba, Taracatac intentionally threw the ball at Suba, hitting him in the face,” Hinds said.
“Taracatac throwing the ball at Suba, even though intentional, could still be considered within the scope of the game,” Hinds said. “Sometimes things like this happen in games where there is physical contact. Players get frustrated and sometimes do things like throw the ball at another player. Taracatac should not have thrown the ball at the other player, but throwing the ball at another player during the game does not rise to the level of an assault and battery,” Hinds said.
“Even though not a crime, when Taracatac threw the ball, it set off a chain of events that ended with Taracatac being seriously injured,” Hinds added.
“After Taracatac threw the ball, Suba covered his face and stepped forward. Taracatac also stepped forward with his arms extended to push Suba. At that point another player, Suba’s son, Aiden Suba, grabbed Taracatac around the head and neck area. Taracatac then grabbed Aiden. Taracatac and Aiden tussled back and forth. There were no punches thrown at this time by either Aiden, Suba or Taracatac. Many other players from both teams got involved. From the video, it looked like those players, to include Suba, were grabbing Taracatac and Aiden to break them or pull them apart.
“Both Taracatac and Suba were still grabbing and holding each other. They eventually fell down. From the video it looked like Aiden had Taracatac in a headlock and Taracatac was holding onto Aiden’s body. Aiden looked to be pulling at Taracatac when they stumbled and fell down. Taracatac fell face forward and was injured.
“All this happened within a matter of seconds,” Hinds said. “Taracatac threw the ball at 17 seconds from the start of the video. Then Aiden grabbed Taracatac at 18 seconds from the start of the video. They tussled back and forth until falling at 25 seconds from the start of the video. From the start of the incident to the end it took approximately 8 seconds.”
Hinds said within that time, there were no punches thrown.
“Aiden did grab Taracatac, but he was never in a situation where he had control over Taracatac. From the surveillance, it did not look that Aiden intended to have Taracatac fall the way he did. It seemed that as they wrestled, they both lost balance and fell. After they fell, Aiden was not seen making any more attempts to go after Taracatac, before being pulled away,” Hinds said.
“From the interview done and the surveillance, there is no evidence that Taracatac’s unfortunate injuries were intentionally caused by Aiden. These types of situations happen in sports. Nothing was done that seemed excessively violent or premeditated,” Hinds said. “Therefore, the Commonwealth will not charge anyone in this incident.”
According to Taracatac’s family, he sustained a spinal injury and had to be flown to Guam for urgent medical treatment.
His sister, Sheila, said Taracatac “became disabled as a result of what they had done to him. Our family is currently grieving over his current condition, and we want justice for him.”
