Giants fan seriously beaten, 25 people arrested at Dodgers home opener

As police searched for a group of Dodgers fans who allegedly beat a Giants fan, officials said about 25 people were arrested for various infractions during Thursday's opening day festivities at Dodger Stadium.

Los Angeles Police Department Sgt. Sanford Rosenberg said most of the 25 arrests were related to intoxication due to the consumption of too much alcohol. The number of overall arrests was markedly down from last year’s opening day, when 132 arrests were made.

Because Dodgers opening day is known for its heavy drinking, rowdy crowds, the LAPD was out in full force at Thursday’s game to try to avoid a repeat of unruly behavior of past years.

The most serious incident occurred after the game when a Giants fan was beaten.

"The man suffered a serious head injury during the assault after the game,'' said LAPD Sgt. Sanford Rosenberg, watch commander at the Northeast Station.

Rosenberg said the victim was one of three Giants fans attacked in the parking lot around the end of the game by two unidentified men wearing Dodgers clothing.

The unprovoked attack occurred about 8:30 p.m. in Parking Lot 2 when two men in Dodgers clothing approached three victims in Giants apparel, police said.

The two men then attacked the trio, kicking and punching them and shouting expletives about the Giants as they delivered the blows, Rosenberg said. The attack left one victim hospitalized in critical but stable condition, Rosenberg said.

The LAPD arrested at least two people for public intoxication in the parking lot compared with more than 130 on opening day last year.

Detectives ask anyone with information on the attack to call the LAPD's Northeast Station at (213) 485-2563.

Public intoxication has been an issue at Dodger home openers in the past, leading to police crackdowns. It's unclear if drinking was a factor in this case. The Dodgers beat the Giants 2-1.

-- Richard Winton

Photo: Los Angeles Dodgers fans lineup outside Dodger Stadium before their Opening Day MLB National League baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in Los Angeles, California March 31, 2011. Credit: Alex Gallardo / Reuters

Comments

[Bill]

Vamos Doy-ers! Vamos! Who ever said Mexico never gave the US anything good?

[N.P.Krohn]

I have been reading about this incident all morning and i was already disgusted. Just got off the phone with a good friend. It was his cousin, another good friend of mine, that was sent to the hospital. His name is Brian. He is won of the funniest and nicest guys I know. He is the father of two young boys who are just as funny and pleasant to be around. We all live in the bay area and Brian has been a loyal Giant's fan an me a loyal Dodger fan our whole lives. I grew up in Venice and have only known Brian for 10yrs but in the countless LA/Sf gms we have watched together I have never heard him be offensive or violent. Last night he was talking to two random fellow Giants fans when he was hit in the back of the head. He was knocked unconcious from that blow and feel head first onto the pavement where the two punks proceeded to stomp on his head. From behind and unprovoked. Punks. Tinys. He was so excited all winter about coming to Dodger Stadium for his first time on Opening Day. He had talked often about how beautiful our park looked on T.V. Brian makes his living as an EMT saving lives and driving ambulances. Last night they had to drill a hole in his head to relieve the swelling in his brain. For what? Going to the game is not a civil right. Time to start profiling. Stop these psychotics from getting into the park. Have them arrested for tresspassing if they don't leave the parking lot.

[Yellow and Black]

I'm a diehard SF Giants fan living in L.A.

I love when I go to the games and wear my Giants gear when the thug Dodger fan with his 4 year old daughter isdropping F-Bombs in my face as I walk out...

Giant fans just ignore these thugs....

CLASSY...

[Shocker]

Look at the make up of the people who attend...you have your answer

[WestCoastMets]

Anyone who says "Gee, Dodger Stadium is STARTING to remind me of...Raiders games" has not been paying attention for the past decade.

This is nothing new.

There are fights at every game, generally in the bleachers but hardly limited to that area. Dodger fans constantly throw objects at people who root for the other teams.

The idea that all of a sudden it's getting bad now? Absolutely laughable.

This is a known issue that the Dodgers pretend to attempt to address each year, but everyone knows that the "If someone is hampering your enjoyment of the game, text or call the Dodgers security" public service message at the beginning of the game is purely for show.

[Rah]

BOYCOTTING MCCOURT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN FIGHTING WITH GIANTS FANS

GET IT THROUGH YOUR HEAD. DONT BREAK THE MCCOURT STRIKE!!!!!!!!

[DodgerFaninSF]

As a Dodger fan living in San Francisco, a thug is a thug, no matter whether they are wearing blue or orange. When the Giants played at Candlestick I had beer, batteries and spit rained down on me for wearing Dodger Blue. I avoided fights three times just because my friends in Giants gear stuck up for me. The only reason Pac Bell is better is because the price of the tickets has cut down the thug element in the ball park, but I've been confronted coming home from games on Caltrain where the offenders got kicked off the train for harrassing me. Dodger Stadium needs to tighten security for fans from both sides. No excuse for violence in sports from either side.

[Lae McLaughlin]

verbal ribbing and trash talking is one thing - it's EXPECTED in the world of sports rivalary - but to attack a man because he wore the "wrong" shirt, to beat him over the head so he ended up in the hospital, in critical condition no less - that's another issue entirely. it's disgusting and unacceptable behavior. wearing a giants tshirt and talking smack doesn't give dodgers "fans" the right to commit violence, and it makes me sick that people (including some folks on this comment board) think this is okay.

[Ben Dover]

Move the Dodgers back to Vero Beach, only this time for the regular season....California is "looserville"...

[JJ]

@Jose: So, your point is that they deserved it? Just because someone might shout out things about winning last years championships doesn't condone beating someone into critical condition. Your mentality is what is bringing down this State...you and all your Primos.

[Ryan]

I'm actually surprised less people got arrested vs opening day 2010. As a Padres fan, I have watched Dodgers fans that make the trek to SD get worse and worse every year since Petco Park opened. I figure it is only a matter of time before Petco curtails beer sales when the Dodgers come to town, like we have to do for the Raider fans.

I grew up in LA, going to Dodger games in the 80s. It used to be a cool, friendly, fun, family thing. Farmer John and all that crap. Black people, white people, brown people. It was all good. Now it seems to have changed. The vast majority of fans are now Hispanic, and are usually drunk and aggressive. For some reason, the dodgers seem to have become a symbol to Hispanics in LA that they have come of age or something. I honestly think there is a sense of achievement for the fans, like they have taken over from whites by being aggressive towards other fans and races. It is sad that the Dodgers were originally a way for races to find common ground 15+ years ago, and now Dodgers games are so hate filled. The Dodgers fans breed animosity towards Hispanic people more than anything else nowadays. Its very sad.

[Arpaio]

Didn't a fan get killed last year at an Angles game in Anaheim?

[Mondongo]

75c for a beer, $1.00 for a hot dog, 50c for pop corn or peanuts, seating in a nice comfortable chair, free parking, watching the game in a big screen without some drunk yelling and standing in front of me, not getting my head bashed in in the parking lot, not taking an hour and a half to get out of the parking lot.
That's why I stay home.
Too many crazy people.
Going out to sporting events it's no fun anymore......

[caroline]

And LA needs a football team??

[thecityofangels]

Dodger Stadium is a den of drunken thugs who don't know a damn thing about baseball, they just go to get drunk off their asses and start fights with anyone not wearing blue. My entire family used to be Dodger season seat holders and couldn't take the unsafe feeling and ghetto violence that permeates that ballpark anymore. Happy to say I converted 'em to happy, enthused and safe Angel fans.

[Michael Stocker]

I'm sure the Giants fans that were hurt in this incident were being assholes, but there was still no need to beat them up.

I'm sure they were bragging about their 1st World Series championship last year as the "San Francisco" Giants, so the proper comeback would be to say something like "I'm glad your teams nuts finally dropped after 52 years of being in San Francisco." Then shout at them something along the lines of "Giants Suck."

[Gary]

I find it unbelievable that there are posters out there that defend the beating of these folks. Would you feel the same way if a member of YOUR family was put in the hospital by these criminals?
And do not fool yourself, these sub-humans are criminals. We can only hope that they get what is coming to them.

[Ray J]

There is no way this third world city, needs a football team. They can not afford the police or army !

[david e]

dodger fans need to learn how to be civilized, why beat someone up for being a giants fan. it's just dumb. i'm not that surpised though, dodger fans are just so unclassy. do they have lapd in the parking lots after games, they should do that after dodger giants games if they don't.

[Alex.]

To downer of lincoln heights. You are an idiot. This gets me very very sick. And just to think it was another hispanic gang member makes me very embarrassed of my race. Very shameful of whoever did this. Very disappointing. Very inaappropriate. Very disrepectful. Very unclassy. Very just plain studity. I hope whoever did this gets what they deserve. Sooner or later it will come.

[David Rodriguez]

Dodgers fan is a Raiders fan dressed in Dodger blue. Heavy drinking, public intoxication, shouting expletives and unruly behavior..... just all around rowdy and rude.
It was those rowdy Dodger fans that killed an Angels fan a few years back at Angel stadium. Keep them Dodgers out of the O.C.

[mossrock]

The Dodger fans who beat the poor guy:

MEXICANS

WHo else?

MEXICANS= low education= Violence = don't bring your family.

Too bad. This city used to be kind of a nice place

[rob]

As this country caters more and more to Latino illegals - white people will stay home.
I hope the sport franchise's are happy with making the money. I wonder if evenually they lose due to the "white" fan base disappearing

[rob]

As this country caters more and more to Latino illegals - white people will stay home.
I hope the sport franchise's are happy with making the money. I wonder if evenually they lose due to the "white" fan base disappearing

[rob]

another reason to hate Mexicans