Oklahoma High School Baseball Coach Subdues Knife-Wielding Man to Protect His Players

An Oklahoma high school baseball coach sprang into action when a knife-wielding man allegedly threatened one of his players during a recent road trip.

Cameron head baseball coach Kevin Lomon punched and subdued the armed man at a hotel in Shawnee, Okla., then pinned him to the ground until police arrived, according to a Shawnee police report. Neither Lomon nor any of his players was injured.

How the Hotel Confrontation Began

In an interview with Fort Smith (Arkansas) area television station KFSM-TV, Lomon remarked that his team returned to their hotel the night of Aug. 14 in Shawnee, located approximately 30 miles east of Oklahoma City. The Yellowjackets — who play both fall and spring baseball — were competing in a tournament in the nearby town of Dale, and were coming off an 8-6 win against Colbert.

Around 9 p.m. that night, Lomon received a call from one of his players, who said someone had pulled a knife on him. Lomon immediately told his players to get into their rooms safely before he called 911. Then he went into the hallway, where he saw Christopher Stevens with the knife.

“I had to react, and I didn’t have much time to think about that,” Lomon said in the interview with KFSM.

Coach Subdues the Armed Man

After Lomon subdued Stevens, police arrived and recovered two knives at the scene. Stevens was taken to a local medical facility for treatment before being booked at the Pottawatomie County Safety Center on complaints of assault with a deadly weapon and public intoxication.

The police report also stated that no injuries were sustained by Lomon or any of his players.

In KFSM's report, Lomon’s attorney, Joey McCutcheon of Fort Smith, alleged the hotel failed to adequately protect its guests before the incident and that there were opportunities to remove Stevens from the premises before the encounter with Lomon.

“He literally put his life on the line for his players, and that’s something that they’re going to remember throughout their life,” McCutcheon told KFSM.

‘I Don’t Think I’m a Hero’

Lomon was asked by KFSM whether he considers himself a hero for his part in defusing a potentially volatile situation.

“I don’t think I’m a hero,” he said. “I just think I would do it again.”

He reiterated that he would do the same for any of the 13 players currently on his roster.

“They’ve always known I’ll fight for them,” Lomon said. “But I think this situation might be another level where they know I’ll fight for them.”

From Major League Pitcher to Cameron Coach

Cameron is located in eastern Oklahoma near the Arkansas border about 20 miles southwest of Fort Smith.

The Yellowjackets had one of the greatest dynasties in Oklahoma high school baseball history. From 1989-98, they won eight spring state championships and two fall baseball titles.

Lomon attended and played at Cameron during the early stages of that dynasty. He went on to play college baseball at then-Westark College in Fort Smith (now the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith) before being selected in the 14th round of the 1991 Major League Baseball draft by the Atlanta Braves.

He went on to a brief big-league career as a pitcher, debuting with the New York Mets in 1995 before returning to the Braves and pitching during the 1996 season. The Braves reached the World Series that season. Lomon also spent time in the minor league systems of the New York Yankees, San Diego Padres and the then-Anaheim Angels.

Lomon returned to his alma mater at Cameron and has spent several years as the coach there. Through the 2026 spring season, Lomon has amassed 285 wins, and and he took the Yellowjackets to the state tournament in both the fall and spring during the 2025-26 school year.

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