SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Police say a fight that led to the fatal stabbing of a Dodgers fan near San Francisco’s AT&T Park was sparked by the rivalry between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Giants.
San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr said at a morning news conference that the victim, 24-year-old Jonathan Denver, was wearing Dodgers gear when he and the group he was with got into an argument Wednesday night with another group of people, one of whom was wearing a Giants hat. The two groups exchanged insults about the Giants-Dodgers rivalry.
The argument eventually escalated, and Denver was fatally stabbed.
Suhr says two suspects have been taken into custody, but two more remain at large.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.
Police arrested two people in the fatal stabbing of a Dodgers fan during a fight near San Francisco’s AT&T Park after the Giants’ 6-4 win over the Dodgers, San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr said.
Suhr did not provide additional details about the arrests. He told the San Francisco Chronicle earlier (http://bit.ly/1bIlqcz) that the victim of the Wednesday night attack was a Dodgers fan and was wearing Dodgers gear.
The Medical Examiner’s office has identified the victim as Jonathan Denver, 24. Cameron Mullins, an investigator with the office, said authorities were still trying to determine the city where Denver lived.
It was not clear whether the victim’s gear played a role in the attack. The Giants and Dodgers are longtime division rivals. The Giants are the defending World Series champions. But this year, the Dodgers won the division while the Giants were set to miss the playoffs.
Police have released few additional details about the stabbing other than to say it occurred shortly after 11:30 p.m. during a confrontation between two groups of men.
Giants’ spokeswoman Staci Slaughter said she did not have more information about the incident, but wanted to emphasize that the stabbing took place several blocks away from the stadium.
The violence comes just three days after a teenage football fan was attacked at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park during the San Francisco 49ers 27-7 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Other violence broke out at the game on Sunday despite an increase in security. The stadium was also the site of two shootings, beatings and fights during a preseason game two years ago.
Stadium security and fan behavior also came under scrutiny when another Dodgers-Giants matchup saw a Northern California paramedic severely beaten. Bryan Stow, a Giants fan, suffered a traumatic brain injury after a beating by two men dressed in Dodgers gear following the March 31, 2011, home opener between the two longtime rivals.
The Giants are holding a fundraiser for Stow. The team will donate $10 from each ticket sold in certain sections of AT&T Park at Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday’s games to a fund setup for Stow, Slaughter said.
