Arizona 13-Year-Old Defends Himself Over Dodgeball Assault Charge

The 13-year-old boy in Arizona facing a misdemeanor assault charge over a gym class dodgeball game says he never meant to hurt anyone ... but admits he's nervous about going to court.

Abel Schipper and his mom, Cecily, joined us on "TMZ Live" Friday ... and he insisted he never tried to hurt his ex-girlfriend when he and two friends threw foam dodgeballs at her during a warm-up.

Abel says the kids were throwing at random classmates before targeting his ex ... and denies they scrunched up the foam balls to make them hit harder. As for her large bruises, Abel says he has no idea how they got so severe.

Cecily says the girl wasn't admitted to the hospital, but went to the ER to have a bruise evaluated. She added she didn't even know Abel was in legal trouble until March -- 3 months after the incident -- when a letter arrived saying he'd been charged.

Abel says the school never disciplined him ... and Cecily claims the girl even asked her for a ride home weeks after the incident.

The family now has a public defender ... but Cecily says he still hasn't sat down with them to hear Abel's side.

While Abel initially brushed off the situation -- telling Harvey, "It's just dodgeball" -- he admitted the court case does scare him. He called a July appearance "nerve-wracking" ... and Cecily says her son was shaking badly.

As we reported ... Abel is facing an assault charge stemming from the December 2025 dodgeball game at Mayer High School. Authorities say his ex-girlfriend was repeatedly hit and later went to the hospital with large bruises.

He's due back in court Monday.