On one of these occasions, he was called to an elementary school after a case of suspected child abuse had been reported to them. When he arrived at the school along with his colleague, Officer Daniel Rigg, he decided that the latter should talk to Jane, the girl affected by the abuse, while he himself went to the principal's office where he talked to Morgan, Jane's mother, and Rex, her father who was the key suspect in the case. After their discussion, Hoffman left the office with Morgan, when Rigg told him not to trust Rex, as it was obvious to him that Jane didn't want to talk to them out of fear of her violent father. However, as Hoffman had no evidence against him, there was nothing he could do. Therefore, he told Jane to go back to her class. Rex, who felt safe now, clapped Rigg on the shoulder and sarcastically commented that "sometimes these kids just get out of control." This, however, provoked Rigg even further to the point that he attacked Rex and struck him in the face, breaking his nose and cheekbone in the process. Hoffman then had to pull him back and angrily told him to leave immediately
Following the incident, Rex tried to sue Rigg for the assault with the assistance of his lawyer, Art Blank. Additionally, the Internal Affairs Division started to investigate the case. Due to the severe accusations, Art Blank went to the police station, where he talked to Rigg and Hoffman and tried to convince the latter to suspend Rigg from office. Hoffman, however, made an incorrect statutory declaration in order to protect his colleague. This eventually caused the charge to be dismissed, and Rigg's career wasn't further damaged or endangered by this incident
