Caught On Camera: Giants CEO Larry Baer In Physical Altercation With Wife
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS News/AP) -- San Francisco Giants CEO Larry Baer was seen in a confrontation with his wife that resulted in her falling out of a chair and onto the ground in an incident caught on video Friday.
The video, published by TMZ Sports, was shot by an eyewitness who saw the couple in a public park.
In the video, Baer is seen forcibly grabbing something from the hand of his wife, Pam, as she tumbles to the ground and screams. It then shows others in the park yelling back and forth. Baer appears to yell, "Stop, Pam. Stop."
The incident happened around noon at a plaza in Hayes Valley. Witnesses said the couple argued for roughly half an hour and they overheard the couple talking about getting counseling but didn't know what the argument was about.
Eyewitnesses said the situation escalated when Baer tried to grab his cellphone. Taylor Haskins, who was working at a nearby juice shop told KPIX that Pam Baer was yelling and trying to hold onto her husband's phone when she fell to the ground. Haskins said the physical confrontation lasted just seconds and Larry Baer quickly walked away after prying the phone from his wife.
The San Francisco police department said they are "looking into the alleged incident."
Baer spoke to the San Francisco Chronicle shortly after the video surfaced.
"My wife and I had an unfortunate public argument related to a family member & she had an injured foot and she fell off her chair in the course of the argument," he told the newspaper. "The matter is resolved. It was a squabble over a cell phone. Obviously it's embarrassing."
Later in the afternoon Baer issued another statement through the team.
"I am truly sorry for the pain that I have brought to my wife, children and to the organization. It is not reflective of the kind of a person that I aspire to be but it happened and I will do whatever it takes to make sure that I never behave in such an inappropriate manner again."
Pam Baer responded to TMZ, saying "We were having a family fight about someone in my family and that's it."
Later Friday evening, Pam Baer's attorney released an elaboration on the incident by Mrs. Baer:
"I would like to clarify the events of today," the statement begins. "My husband and I had an argument in public about which we are quite embarrassed. I took his cellphone. He wanted it back and I did not want to give it back. I started toget up and the chair I was sitting in began to tip. Due to an injury I sustained in my foot three days ago, I lost my balance. I did not sustain any injury based on what happened today. Larry and I always have been and still are happily married."
Major League Baseball issued a statement, saying it was "aware of the incident and, just like any other situation like this, will immediately begin to gather the facts." The league also said it would have no further comment on the matter "until this process is completed."
The San Francisco Police Department also confirmed Friday it was investigating an incident.
"The only statement we have is that we are aware of the incident, and we are investigating," SFPD officer Joseph Tomlinson said.
Baer is part of the local ownership group who purchased the Giants in 1992, as the team looked to possibly move out of the Bay Area.
© 2019 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. KPIX 5 correspondent Andrea Nakano and the Associated Press contributed to this report
