LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Police Department does not want a repeat of last week outside of Dodger Stadium.
After the Dodgers lost to the New York Mets in Game 1 on Friday night, a violent assault occurred outside of the stadium, leaving one man in critical condition. But LAPD Lt. John Jenal called the incident “an anamoly,” not a trend.
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The LAPD would not disclose its plans for increased security for Thursday night’s deciding Game 5, but the department did say it’s confident Dodger Stadium will be “a family-friendly environment,” according to a report by The Press Enterprise.
“The department is looking at this very seriously,” Jenal said. “We don’t want any kind of reputation to start up that Dodger Stadium is an unsafe place to go.”
The victim of Friday night’s assault is believed to have been a Mets fan and was attacked by two people.
“Safety in this city is my top priority, and the attack last Friday night was a tragedy that must not be repeated,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement. “In light of Friday’s terrible incident, we have heightened security for all home games with uniformed LAPD officers.”
This isn’t the first time a fan was assaulted outside of Dodger Stadium. Back in 2011, Bryan Stow — a San Francisco Giants fan — was so severely beaten that it left him with permanent brain damage.
“After that incident,” Jenal said, “it definitely was time for reflection and getting better.”
