Dodger fan alleges guards used excessive force after he ran onto field
LOS ANGELES CA May 24 2023 A Dodger fan has sued the team over a broken left foot and injured wrists he alleges he suffered because security officers used excessive force against him after he ran onto the field in excitement during a 2021 divisional playoff series game against the San Francisco Giants.
Juan M. Hernandez Jr.’s Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit alleges negligence, premises liability, battery, false imprisonment and negligent hiring training and supervision.
Hernandez seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages in the suit brought Wednesday. Many other Dodger loyalists also have filed similar suits against the team involving encounters with guards and fans, usually in the parking lot or public areas of the venue’s interior, that are awaiting trial.
A Dodgers spokesman said Monday that the team does not comment on pending litigation.
Hernandez was present at Dodger Stadium for the Oct. 12, 2021, playoff gave between the Dodgers and San Francisco Giants that was won by the home team, 7-2, and tied up the National League Division Series at two games apiece.
Hernandez, seated near the left field foul line, “became so excited with the prospect of winning game four of the series that he jumped onto the left field grass,” the suit states.
Almost immediately, Hernandez was tripped by a female security guard, then surrounded by and pounced upon by numerous other guards who began to strike, kick, stomp and choke him, the suit alleges.
Hernandez was handcuffed and escorted off the field by the security officers, who tightened his handcuffs and continued to be rough with the plaintiff, injuring both of his wrists despite his pleas for leniency and leaving him with a fractured left foot, according to the suit.
Hernandez alleges the guards used excessive force to restrain him even though he cooperated and did not put up any resistance. He also alleges he has suffered mental pain and lost income because of his injuries.
