A 44-year-old Hamilton man is charged with assault with a weapon for allegedly whipping a rubber ball at the head of a 13-year-old boy at a west Mountain school.

Sgt. Terri-Lynn Collings said the boy and an 11-year-old were playing in a room on Jan. 18 as part of an after-school sports program when the suspect, who was visiting the school “for legitimate reasons,” had a brief discussion with them.

He then allegedly grabbed their ball and fired it at the teen’s head. A staff member witnessed the event and told the school’s administrators, who called police.

“They weren’t horsing around, they were just playing,” said Collings, who declined to identify the school. “It was without provocation. It was deliberate and excessive.”

Following an investigation by the victims of crime unit, the suspect was arrested at his home yesterday morning.