Angry Lakers fan pepper-sprays Jazz fan after game

By Janelle Stecklein The Salt Lake Tribune

Published: November 8, 2012 4:40 pm
This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

An angry Los Angeles Lakers fan on Thursday night opened fire on a Jazz fan with a can of pepper spray outside EnergySolutions Arena.

Salt Lake City police Detective Josh Ashdown said a pair of Utah Jazz fans were attending the game Wednesday night when they started trash talking with a pair of Lakers fans.

The discussion escalated, and the Lakers fans challenged the Jazz fans to a fight, which they declined, Ashdown said.

Security threw the two Lakers fans out of the game, but they apparently decided to stick around to continue the confrontation with the Jazz fans, he said.

The Lakers fans spotted the Jazz fans standing on the corner of 100 South and 400 West and started trash talking again.

At that point, one of the Lakers fans pulled out pepper-spray fogger and let loose, police said.

Ashdown said instead of a concentrated spray, the fogger expels a big mist of spray very much like a fire extinguisher.

Police said they were searching for a Latino in his early 30s who was wearing a Lakers jersey.

He's about 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs about 150 pounds. The man has medium length brown hair and was in a Dodge Charger.

The Jazz won 95-86.

jstecklein@sltrib.com

Twitter @sltribjanelle

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