Police Seek Mother, Son In Dodger Stadium Fight
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Two people suspected of critically injuring a man outside Dodger Stadium are believed to be a mother and son, Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said Tuesday.
Police declined to release the ages of the mother and son or discuss what precipitated the fight on Friday night, but Beck said detectives were reviewing video that captured the assault in hopes of tracking the pair down.
The man injured in the fight was in critical condition at a hospital. Detectives were hoping to interview him Tuesday for more details about what happened, Beck said.
The fight happened in a stadium parking lot after the Dodgers lost the opening game of the National League Division Series to the New York Mets, 3-1. It began with an argument and quickly escalated into violence, police said.
Beck declined to discuss whether the injured man and the suspects knew each other, or whether they were rooting for opposing teams.
Beck called the assault very unusual, saying that stadium security has been significantly enhanced since a 2011 beating that left San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow with brain damage.
"Anyone who goes to games now sees uniformed officers inside the venue as well as outside the venue, particularly for championship games or key rivalries," Beck said. "But it is a big facility, and you can't be everywhere all the time."
Beck urged anyone who saw or recorded the incident to contact police.
Should the Mets return to Los Angeles for a Game 5 on Thursday, Beck said police will have a strong presence at the stadium, "particularly with the tensions between the two teams right now, and the fans obviously."
"There's been a significant amount of rivalry here - a lot at stake," he said.
Police said fan expulsions were higher than usual at Friday's game though they didn't have specific figures.
Dodger spokesman Steve Brener said Tuesday that the team had no comment.
Security at Dodger Stadium came under national scrutiny after a 2011 attack in the parking lot on opening day left Stow with brain damage. Two men - Marvin Norwood and Louie Sanchez - pleaded guilty in the beating and went to prison.
Stow sued the Dodgers and their former owner Frank McCourt, blaming them for the attack because of insufficient security and lighting. A jury faulted the team, along with Sanchez and Norwood, and awarded Stow nearly $18 million after a six-week trial in 2014.
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Copyright 2015 The Associated Press.
