Fan tased as fans chant "USA!" at PNC Park
Watching this video of a fan being beaten and tased at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, one question emerges: was this a pro wrestling stunt or an actual arrest?
Apparently the latter, according to CBS affiliate KDKA, which reports that the man in the video is facing charges after being escorted from of the stands during Saturday night's Pirates game.
The scene seems almost fake at first. As police escort a stocky bald guy down the stadium stairs, fans chant "USA! USA!" (The guy is wearing a USA jacket in the video). An eager onlooker high-fives the bald guy, who responds with a shove.
That's when the tasers and batons emerge and the strangely amusing scenario turns ugly. You can actually hear the sound of the police Taser. Again, seconds later, you see police begin to swing.
Scott Ashley was charged with harassment, public drunkenness, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
"The policeman had a Taser, and I figured, I'm going to tape it," Erik, the man who shot the video of the incident, told KDKA. "The man got up, and I figured I'm going to tape it to see what's going on."
Erik said as he recorded, a crowd gathered. What wasn't clear from his vantage point is how the incident started.
"I'd be interested to see what provoked this action," he said.
Pittsburgh police are not releasing any statements on the incident at PNC Park until a full review of the situation takes place.
As for the Pirates, they've released this statement: "We pride ourselves on promoting a fan and family-friendly atmosphere at PNC Park. During last night's game, there was an individual who appeared heavily intoxicated and was using excessive foul language and disrupting other fan's enjoyment of the game. He was asked to leave. He refused and threatened the PNC Park staff employee."
"I've been to 150 games in the past two years, and I've never seen anybody Tased," said Erik. "I didn't see how it began. I just saw the end, but I was pretty shocked."
According to the police criminal complaint, Ashley had been asked to leave the park, and refused, telling police, "No, I'm not going anywhere."
Police say the crowd got louder. The complaint reports that Ashley was Tased when he used a fighting stance against the officer and it didn't have any affect.
The complaint goes on to say the officers used the sticks to make Ashley comply, each striking him several times before wrestling him to the ground. Police too described the crowd as hostile.
Ashley's bail is set at $5,000.