A Cherry Hill, PA man has been arrested after triggering a disturbance during a Phillies Game at Citizens Bank Park. The unruly fan assaulted the 11-year-old daughter of a police officer by deliberately vomiting on her, police said.
Philadelphia Police said Matthew R. Clemens, 21, of the unit block of Hassemer Avenue, was charged with simple assault, reckless endangerment, harassment, disorderly conduct and other related offenses. Clemens was held on $36,000 bail on three complaints containing 15 counts of the different offenses.
Police said the incident started during a Phillies game against the Nationals.
Clemens and a friend were sitting behind Easton Police Capt. Michael Vangelo and his two daughters, officials said.
The pair were rowdy-cursing, spitting and spilling beer, police said.
When Vangelo complained to an usher, Clemens'' friend was escorted out of the stadium, police said.
But that did not stop Clemens, police said. He kept it up and then loudly announced he was going to throw up.
Vangelo told police he turned to see Clemmons with his fingers down his throat before vomiting on the 11-year-old.
Clemmons then punched Vangelo in the side of the head, prompting two witnesses, including an Easton police lieutenant, to jump in to restrain Clemmons, officials said.
One of the witnesses punched Clemmons in the face before he gave up the struggle, police said.
Vangelo told the Daily News he restrained himself from hitting Clemmons because he feared getting arrested.
"I kept thinking, `If I get arrested, my kids will be alone here,'" the police captain said.
Source: Daily News,
When I first noticed this story, I initially wondered if it was just too gross to comment on. Then I thought about Father's Day being in June and all the things my dad has done for me. It soon became clear that this is not only appropriate but necessary to mention.
When I was a kid, my sister, a friend of ours and I, wanted our dad to take us to the playground one Saturday morning. While we were there, we waited on the merry-go-round until the swings were available.
The kids who left the swings went off to get ice cream, so the three of us took the only three swings that were there. After swinging for about two minutes, the kids who left the swings for ice cream (and apparently had finished eating them) wanted "their" swings back.
My dad informed them that we would be occupying the swings for now and that they would have to wait their turn like we did previously. Well, their dad went off on our dad about "privilege" and how his kids shouldn't have to wait and so on.
Other parents jumped in on my dad's behalf and two cops walking nearby asked the other dad to leave if he did not want to be arrested for disorderly conduct. He chose to take his kids and leave. I am still proud of my dad for protecting us and avoiding a fight that day.
If he had lost his temper and had stooped to the other guy's level of handling the situation, it's likely that he would have gotten himself arrested, thrown in jail, leaving us stranded. He said at the time, all he could think about was defending his girls and their friend without setting a bad example.
You don't have to be a parent to understand that losing your temper when you really want to, is not worth losing what you truely value.
")