2 fans charged after running onto Coors Field, grabbing Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr.
The two fans were charged with trespassing and disturbing the peace after jumping onto Coors Field on Monday
A pair of fans ran onto the Coors Field outfield and grabbed Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. during Monday's game against the Colorado Rockies in Denver.
Acuña appeared to come away from the incident without injury and remained in the game. The fans were pulled off of Acuña by security and escorted from the field.
The two fans, identified by Denver police as Carlos Rivelo-Piaz and Jefferson Gonzales-Meirda, were arrested and charged with trespassing and disturbing the peace, via WSB-TV. A third fan reportedly jumped on the field, too, but returned to the stands. He was cited for trespassing and will not be charged.
Video from the outfield stands shows a fan approach Acuña in the seventh inning, put his arm around his waist and apparently try to take a selfie. A security guard sprints toward the scene and attempts to pull the fan off of Acuña. A second security guard reaches for the fan's legs as the fan keeps his arms around Acuña's body.
As a third security guard approached the scene, another fan sprinted in from right field. Two security guards immediately tackled him as he reached Acuña, and two others pulled the first fan off Acuña. Acuña fell to his back, then got up, apparently unscathed.
Two guards escorted one of the fans off the field, while three others carried off the other, literally kicking and screaming.
DOUBLE ACUNA HUG @StoolBaseball pic.twitter.com/LRpDYO35fZ
— Billy Grossman (@44billyg) August 29, 2023
Another angle from the infield stands shows the second fan sprinting from right field to join the fracas.
Unreal scene here at Coors Field.
It was a blur, but it appears that three fans ran onto the field to attack Atlanta’s Ronald Acuña Jr. between innings.
You can see Acuña Jr. get off the ground after the second attacker comes into frame. pic.twitter.com/FEnWVxnTR3— Patrick Lyons (@PatrickDLyons) August 29, 2023
Chants of "MVP" rained down from the Rockies crowd in support of Acuña, a top NL MVP contender.
The Major League Baseball Players Association said it is reviewing club and stadium protocols "to mitigate the possibility of similar future events" throughout the league, via The Associated Press.
The night was an otherwise outstanding one for Acuña, who hit his 29th home run and recorded his NL-best 60th and 61st stolen bases as the Braves recorded a 14-4 win. He finished the night 4-for-5 at the plate with a home run, two stolen bases, a walk, three runs scored and five RBI.
He hit a three-run double in the ninth inning after the run-in with fans. He appears to be just fine.
Ronald Acuña Jr.: “I was a little scared at first, but I think the fans were out there and asking for a picture. But security was able to get there, and so I think everything’s OK. Everyone’s OK.”
He said the second, more aggressive fan was also just asking for a photo. pic.twitter.com/lHeOcVKSSX— Bennett Durando (@BennettDurando) August 29, 2023
"I was a little scared at first, but I think the fans were out there and asking for a picture," Acuña said via interpreters after the game. "But security was able to get there, and so I think everything’s OK. Everyone’s OK."
