Man Arrested for Throwing Sex Toy at WNBA Game
A man from Ohio was arrested for throwing a sex toy during a WNBA game in New York, authorities reported on Thursday.
This incident adds to a series of similar disturbances at WNBA games across the country, which have resulted in at least three arrests.
Charles Burgess, 32, a resident of Dayton, Ohio, was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly throwing an object during the game between the Dallas Wings and the New York Liberty on August 5, according to the New York Police. The object hit a 12-year-old girl, and Burgess was charged with two counts of assault.
It has not been specified whether Burgess has legal representation.
Similar incidents occurred during games in Atlanta on July 29 and August 1, in Los Angeles and Phoenix on August 5, and in Chicago on August 1 and 7.
Some of the sex toys made it onto the court, causing game delays, while others landed among the audience, such as in Phoenix, where an 18-year-old was arrested.
The man arrested in Phoenix told police that it was a joke that had become a trend on social media and that he bought the toy a day earlier to take it to the game. He was approached in the stadium by a volunteer who allegedly saw him throw the object and began to follow him as he tried to leave the venue.
The police reported that this man was arrested on suspicion of assault, disorderly conduct, and public display of explicit sexual material.
A man was also arrested in Georgia for the two toy throws at Atlanta Dream games, according to a police report.
He is charged with disorderly conduct, trespassing, indecent exposure, and indecent exhibition. All four charges are misdemeanors in the state of Georgia, meaning that, if convicted, the penalty for each can be a fine of up to $1,000 or a jail sentence of up to 12 months. A misdemeanor for indecent exhibition and indecent exposure may also require registration on the state’s sex offender registry.
The report indicates that the man from Georgia told the police: “This was supposed to be a joke and the joke was supposed to go viral.”
The sex toy that landed on the court in Los Angeles nearly hit Sophie Cunningham, a player for the Indiana Fever.
The league’s executives have stated that anyone who throws objects onto the court will be ejected from the stadium and face a minimum one-year ban from attending games.
Media reports have linked the toy launches to a group involved in a related cryptocurrency meme coin.
