Fan on Life Support After Beating Outside Dodger Stadium

Dodger Stadium
AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

A man was beaten and left severely injured from an altercation outside Dodgers Stadium last Friday.

Stadium officials said they were working with the Los Angeles Police Department on the investigation, according to ESPN.

“Last night, an altercation occurred suddenly between two men who were leaving the stadium,” the team said in a statement. “One of the men was injured as a result of the altercation. A witness immediately reported the incident to stadium personnel, and emergency medical technicians were promptly dispatched to provide medical assistance at the scene. The matter is now being investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department, and the Dodgers are cooperating fully with the investigation.”

A man identified as Rafael Reyna, a father of four, was left hospitalized after the altercation. He is currently on life support with a fractured skull and facial injuries.

The victim’s wife, Christel, was nearby when the fight began but not close enough to see how it started. The woman told police she heard yelling and then a loud “crack” sound.

“I was hearing the arguing happening, and then I heard like a smack, a crack,” the woman told KABC. “It sounded like a baseball bat, and then I heard him start moaning.”

Police said that Reyna was punched in the face at least once and may have cracked his head on the pavement when he fell. Investigators say they are looking for a man in his 20s who drove off in a white SUV, possibly a Toyota 4Runner.

Security has been increased in and around Dodger Stadium since the 2011 attack that left fan Bryan Stow in a wheelchair with permanent brain injuries. Stow’s attackers, Louis Sanchez and Marvin Norwood, received an eight-year and a four-year sentence respectively.

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.

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