Man charged in beer can throw at Blue Jays game
A Hamilton man has been charged in the beer-can-tossing incident during Tuesday’s Toronto Blue Jays game.
Ken Pagan, 41, arrived at a downtown police station in Toronto on Thursday evening, one day after police released his picture to the public.
Lawyer Tyler Smith said Pagan was charged upon entering the station with one count of mischief for the incident during Tuesday’s wild-card game against the Baltimore Orioles.
“We’re a little bit concerned, just because of ... a trial by social media that he’s had to endure,” Smith said. “But right now, the presumption of innocence applies to him and we look forward to getting disclosure in court.”
The lawyer added he doesn’t expect Pagan to face additional charges.
“He is doing his best to co-operate,” Smith said.
On Wednesday night, Pagan told the Toronto Sun he had made arrangements to turn himself in. “I was drinking out of a cup,” Pagan said, and suggested Twitter photos from after the can was tossed clearly show he had a cup in his hand.
“I’d love to tell you what happened and my story ... but I can’t say anything,” he said.
Pagan is an editor at Postmedia, which owns the Ottawa Citizen and the Toronto Sun.
He is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 24 at Old City Hall in downtown Toronto.
A can hurled from the stands narrowly missed Baltimore Orioles outfielder Hyun Soo Kim as he made a catch during the seventh inning of Tuesday’s game at the Rogers Centre. Kim’s teammate Adam Jones said he and Kim were taunted with racial slurs in the confusion that ensued.
After announcing they were investigating the tallboy toss by an “unsportsmanlike fan,” police released a photograph on Wednesday evening of a man they alleged threw the can. They did not name the man, but encouraged him to turn himself in.
The incident captivated many baseball fans and online amateur detectives, sparking frame-by-frame analysis of photographs and video footage from the game.
Online, however, theories abounded on just who was actually threw the beer can.
The Blue Jays apologized to the Orioles for the incident and Major League Baseball vowed to tighten security and alcohol policies at its games. Social media has been rampant with opinions in support of and against Pagan, with videos backing up various arguments.
But police and sources at the stadium told Postmedia there is clearer video not yet seen by the public.