21-year-old man arrested in Dodger fan’s slaying, S.F. police say
San Francisco police confirmed Thursday evening that a 21-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the fatal stabbing of a Dodgers fan the night before.
Michael Montgomery of Lodi was in custody and would be charged in the slaying of Jonathan Denver, 24, San Francisco police said. No further details were immediately available.
Police said earlier in the day that they had detained and were questioning two men -- described in a police report as being ages 18 and 21 -- in connection with the Wednesday night attack.
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Denver, who lived in Fort Bragg, Calif., and his brother met their father -- who worked security for the Dodgers -- in San Francisco to watch the Dodgers play the Giants on Wednesday, friends said. Police said the group left the game in the 8th inning and were about four blocks away from AT&T Park when they encountered a group that had come to town to visit a nightclub.
“There was a back-and-forth about the Giants-Dodgers rivalry, which deteriorated into a physical fight,” San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr said.
There were were no serious physical injuries during the first round, but then a second fight erupted, although it was “unclear who followed who,” Suhr said.
That fight involved “two or three people” from the victim’s group and “four or five” from the other group, Suhr said, and ended when Denver, who was wearing Dodgers gear, realized that he had been stabbed.
Denver died at San Francisco General Hospital, officials said.
The attackers fled, police said. Two were taken into custody a few blocks away.
Authorities vowed extra security at Thursday’s game at AT&T Park, including some officers dressed in Dodgers gear. The Giants said there would be a moment of silence before the game.
“Obviously, this is one of the most storied rivalries in baseball,” Suhr said. But “there is no place for violence. Please be respectful of everybody rooting for whoever they want to root for.
“Although ... the suspects were not at the game and the victim had left ... the fact that anybody got in a beef over the Giants versus Dodgers and someone lost their life, it’s just senseless.”
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