Fan threats

[bluezebra]

Pete:

What makes you think the fan will be arrested? What charges will you file? And who's going to put up the money when this guy sues you for false arrest?

Bob

[PeteBooth]

Originally posted by bluezebra

What makes you think the fan will be arrested? What charges will you file? And who's going to put up the money when this guy sues you for false arrest?

Bob haven't you seen a PRO game in which security handcuffs the culprit and escorts him from the field?

I'm not talking about your average run of the mill pain in the a@@@ fan. When the words I'll get you after the game come out of one's mouth, to me that is a legitimate threat. I'm no laywer, but a person uttering those words would have a very difficult time suing me for false arrest.

I do not have rabbit ears, but the way it stands now, the Fan suffers no consequence for their actions. You and others are advocating - let the AD or Coach handle it.

My answer to that is - What about the next game
IMO, there's no excuse for an individual to act like an animal at a youth sporting event or for any sporting event for that matter.

Even the other fans that have to put up with this nonsense do not like it. Like anything else in life you need a punishment to fit the crime. As it stands now, if I'm reading most of these threads properly - there is no real punishment as this fan will be right back for the next crew of umpires to deal with.

Pete Booth

[Dakota]

Pete,

I sympathize with your position, but you can't have someone arrested if they do nothing illegal. Unfortunately, the cops will be unlikely to do anything (IMO) until someone gets hurt, and that someone may very well be the official.

True, making terroristic threats is a crime, but getting the cops to take it seriously is another matter. The notion that ragging the ump is part of tha game is well-entrenched.

Have you had any success with this approach?

What may be the worst outcome (short of someone getting hurt) would be to call the cops and have them arrive, and then they declare there is nothing to arrest anyone for. Your fan is now further emboldened, since the cops have left you legally defenseless, or so it will seem.

Having the coach or local administrators deal with him is short term, to be sure, but not without consequences for the fan. This fan presumably came to watch his son play baseball. If he is removed, he will not be able to do that. If the game is suspended, no one will be able to do that, and the pressure from the other fans will do the job, most likely.