There’s nothing quite as exciting as a sports game. And nothing quite as terrifying as being caught in the middle of a shooting. On Saturday, a shooting occurred outside the Nationals’ ballpark, and baseball fans were caught in the crossfire. The Washington Nationals were playing the Philadelphia Phillies, and the teams were battling for first place in the National League East. The Washington Nationals won the game, and the fans were pumped up about it. The fans began to rush out of the stadium and started a riot. Several Nationals fans were arrested, and they are being held in jail until their trials are over; others were taken into custody by the police.
According to a report from Deadspin , a teenage girl was knocked unconscious and left lying on the ground after a mass rush to the exits of the Nationals game during a shooting outside the stadium. The melee occurred at 11:30 p.m. on April 29, in the upper deck of the stadium as a gunman, who was later identified as 19-year-old Kody Lott, began shooting at a car outside. During the riot, a male and a female were assaulted by fans; a female was knocked unconscious, and an unresponsive male was shown on camera lying on the ground.
Some paid no attention to it, others thought it was a preparation for the fireworks after the game. They had no idea that there had been a shooting outside the stadium that ultimately led to chaos at the Washington Nationals baseball game on Saturday.
Fans rushed to the shelters for cover and the players fled from the field. Three fans were injured in a shooting near Nationals Park and the game between the Nationals and the San Diego Padres had to be postponed.
Washington Nationals game stopped midway through by a shootout
A warning to fans on the scoreboard after shots were fired outside the stadium during a baseball game between the San Diego Padres and the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on the 17th. July 2023 in Washington, DC.
(Photo: Matt Thomas/San Diego Padres/Getty Images)
Saturday’s game between the Nationals and the Padres was stopped in the sixth inning because of a shooting that took place outside Nationals Park and caused chaos inside. According to ESPN, Metropolitan Police Chief Ashan Benedict said there was a shooting incident between people in two cars. Three people were injured.
The incident occurred when the Padres took the field in the top of the sixth inning. The shots echoed throughout the stadium and caused a wild scene.
Ted Borenstein was enjoying a game with his girlfriend when he heard two blows. He didn’t think much of it because he thought it was a drill for the fireworks.
He knew something was wrong when he saw Padres star Fernando Tatis jump off the field.
The Washington Nationals made an announcement during the game
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First, the Nationals posted a message on the scoreboard asking fans to stay in the stadium. Soon after, the team tweeted: Shots were reported at the gate of the third base of the national park. At that point, fans will be asked to leave the stadium through the CF and RF gates.
According to the Washington Post, Karl Frisch was in box 306 and witnessed the shooting.
We heard six to eight bangs in quick succession in two groups and initially thought it was a firecracker or something in a nearby stairwell, Mr Frisch said. And it was almost immediately clear that this was not the case, as the park staff walked very agitated. And within a minute we were looking over the railing. We saw a group of officers around a man lying on the ground.
Some fans hid behind tables and chairs, while others ran to the shelters.
Everyone around us was hiding under the bleachers or under the seats and the kids around us were crying, said AJ Pillai, a 24-year-old fan. I mean, it was real.
Players rush to find their family members after hearing about the shooting
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Alaina Rodriguez, 29, was in section 115. She saw the players up close during the excitement.
I grabbed the child in front of me because the woman in front of me didn’t understand what was going on, Rodriguez said, according to the Washington Post. … We sat on the ground for a while, then we saw what happened in the middle of the field and it went on in the whole stadium. When we saw (Tatis), he came out and told everyone: Just go for it. I don’t know if they have a family or what was going on here. They told everyone to leave.
Tatis and Padres players Manny Machado, Wil Myers and Jurickson Profar pulled their family members and supporters from the stands and took them to the dugout.
Ann Plaza said she and her group entered the field and walked into the Nationals’ dugout. Then they went to the club room next to manager Dave Martinez’s office.
He was there to take care of everyone, Plaza said of the manager. A guard came and asked if we were family. He said: Yes, they are part of the family – they are our fans. The guard then asked if we were a family of players, to which he replied that we were not. Then they took us to an area just outside the gate and there we stayed until it was safe to leave.
The game resumed Sunday afternoon with a score of 8-4 in favor of the Padres. This is followed by the regular game.
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