An amateur Mexican footballer is on the run after headbutting and inadvertently killing a referee who handed him a red card, according to local media reports.

The local football match taking place on the “Amigos del Balon” (”Friends of the ball”) pitch, some 120km northeast of Mexico City, ended in tragedy, when a red-carded player allegedly murdered the referee. The incident occurred in the city of Tulancingo, Hidalgo state, on Sunday morning, as reported by the newspaper Criterion Hidalgo.

Arbitro de futbol muere en plena cancha.

Jugador le propinó un cabezazo en el rostro tras ser expulsado.

Amigos del Balón.

Tulancingo. pic.twitter.com/EpeZmyl7Je — Luis Alberto Fuentes (@jaliscoesuno) 6 ноября 2016 г.

According to the report, a referee named Victor Trejo red carded a player named Ruben Rivera Vazquez after he protested a foul. This action apparently angered the amateur athlete and he reportedly headbutted the referee in the face. The referee fainted. Paramedics present at the match tried to revive the victim, and the alleged perpetrator fled the scene in a pick-up truck.

Shocking photos from the pitch show the body of the sports official covered with a blue tarpaulin and the police working at the crime scene.

Vía inbox nos informan que Rubén Rivera Vázquez, jugador que mató al arbitro, vive en la calle de atrás de "La... https://t.co/RChGR3XuNG — AlcoholímetroPachuca (@Grupo_AP) 7 ноября 2016 г.

According to the emergency services, the referee died of a “widespread subarachnoid hematoma,” caused by a blow to the head.

Multiple police officers have been dispatched to catch the perpetrator. According to available information, the suspect is still on the run.