A disturbing trend at WNBA games has led to multiple arrests across the country, with the latest incident involving a 32-year-old Ohio man who was charged for allegedly assaulting a young girl with a sex toy during a game. According to NBC New York, Charles Burgess from Dayton was apprehended by New York police on Wednesday and faces two counts of assault related to the incident at the Barclays Center earlier this month.
During the August 5th matchup between the New York Liberty and the Dallas Wings, a sex toy thrown by Burgess reportedly hit a 12-year-old girl. Before being caught by the authorities, the suspect fled on foot and managed to elude capture until police arrested him right before the weekend began. This is not an isolated occurrence, as similar events have taken place at WNBA games in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Chicago, leading to at least three arrests. Fleeing the scene, police have now turned their attention towards these strings of disturbances.
In a separate but similar case, an 18-year-old was tackled at an arena in Phoenix by a volunteer who had seen him throw such an object and started following the young man until the authorities intervened. The individual confessed to purchasing the toy for a prank designed to gain social media traction. As conveyed by The Guardian, he faced charges of assault, disorderly conduct, and publicly displaying explicit sexual material.
Authorities in Georgia detained a man in relation to similar incidents at Atlanta Dream games. He allegedly told police "this was supposed to be a joke and the joke [was] supposed to go viral." Charged with misdemeanors including disorderly conduct and public indecency, the Georgian could face fines or jail time, with certain charges potentially necessitating registration as a sex offender. Nearly hitting Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham during a game in Los Angeles, the thrown sex toys have also caused match delays, as per The Guardian reports.
WNBA league officials have taken a firm stance, stating ejected individuals for throwing objects onto court will face a minimum one-year game attendance ban. Investigations have linked these incidents to a group promoting a cryptocurrency meme coin, drawing concerns of an orchestrated troubling campaign within the sports community.
