The unruly Jets fan who was hauled out of Qualcomm Stadium in chains has come forward and the San Diego PD has been shamed into a response by anonymous websites. Was he railroaded or did he get what he deserved?
The culprit is Bill Carroll, a New Yorker transplanted to Southern California, and he tells the New York Post that he was ratted out by an off-duty cop who texted security to tell them that a Jets fan was making a "disturbance." A police sergeant who responded says he asked Carroll three times to come upstairs and "talk," but Carroll "refused and made a fist." So naturally, he got six other guys and jacked him up.
The cops say Bill was drunk. Carroll says he had three beers over the course of the afternoon and volunteered to take a Breathalyzer (which they did not administer.) We also have another report that suggests there was a disturbance... but Carroll was not the one who caused it. This story received via email is unverified, but I do have reason believe it was sent by the same person who uploaded the video to YouTube. Grain, salt ....
I believed what prompted security to come down was because this lady in a wheelchair who was standing by me asked him [Carroll] to come over to her. She had been heckling Jets fans most of the game. He bent over and she smacked him on the face and told him to shut the fuck up. He laughed it off and went back to his seat with his girlfiend. I think they probably saw there was some disturbance and told the cops to investigate. This guy was just saying Jets Jets Jets for 10 minutes...nothing else. Everyone ignored him (except the wheelchair lady) The other jets fans were quiet at that time since they were still losing and he was routing them on. It pissed me off cause I'm a Giants fan and hate the jets but what can you do.... he's was just an obnoxious fan and a mild one at that (for the opposing fans.) It looked like they told him to stop chanting but he continued. I don't think they liked his attitude and pounced on him. He resisted after they tried to subdue him. That was my observation of the events. Really if anything the wheelchair lady should have been the one arrested.
It's always the wheelchair hooligans, isn't it? So it sounds like Bill was being incredibly annoying—as is his constitutional right as a Jet fan—but annoying doesn't usually hold up in court. This injustice will probably have to stand though since 49 other people were arrested during the game and Jets are still alive. There are bigger fish to be fried here.
Jets fan arrested after cheering at Chargers game in San Diego [NY Post]
Cops: Jets fan's arrest video incomplete [San Diego Union-Tribune]