Grabbing Pablo Sandoval's 3rd Home-Run Ball Got Giants Fan Arrested
A woman who claimed to have caught Pablo Sandoval's third home run ball was arrested by San Francisco police for allegedly trespassing at the time she made the catch.
The incident happened during the fifth inning of the San Francisco Giants' rout of the Detroit Tigers in game one of the World Series. Sandoval was having a historic night and had just launched his third homer (in three plate appearances) into the outfield bleachers, reports CBS.
The Giants' fan, Dawn Price, claimed that she was sitting in the bleachers and fell into an area behind the center field fence as she attempted to grab the ball. After claiming to fall and snapping up the ball, the woman was greeted with cheers and also AT&T Park security. She was eventually hauled off and arrested for trespassing.
The San Francisco Police Department seems suspicious of the woman's tale that she fell over the center field wall, saying "It's possible (she fell), but it's a pretty steep fall," reports CBS. The home run ball was recovered by the Giants.
So far, the San Francisco District Attorney's office has not made a decision whether to file charges against the fan.
Even if the fan didn't buy tickets to the game or had no business sitting behind the center field wall, it may be a waste of time and resources to pursue criminal charges against the woman.
After all, the Giants appear poised to win their second World Series in three years, and the negative karma for prosecuting the fan on Sandoval's historic night could be a downer that could be mythologized for years to come should the Giants lose.
Generally, whether prosecutors decide to pursue criminal charges may depend upon how much evidence they have against the suspect, the severity of the crime, the amount of resources the prosecutor's office has, and the criminal history of the suspect.
Related Resources:
- How About The Balls On This Lady! S.F. Giants Fan Snags Pablo Sandoval HR, Arrested (Busted Coverage)
- Houston Texans Fan Dies After Falling Off 3-Story Escalator (FindLaw's Tarnished Twenty)
- Top 5 Ways to Get Arrested While Tailgating (FindLaw's Tarnished Twenty)