A youth arrested for allegedly using a laser pointer to distract players during a Cards-Giants game at Busch Stadium says he really meant to point it at nearby buildings, not at the playing field.
Eric Bogard, 17, was arrested in a Busch Stadium luxury box after Cardinals manager Mike Matheny and a police officer fingered him as the one using the laser pointer on Cardinals batter Matt Holliday, causing Giants pitcher Shane Loux to stop in mid-motion and ask for time, pointing out the laser to the umpire. After the ump resumed play, Matheny scoured the crowd for the laser, picked out Bogard and mouthed, “I caught you.” Minutes later authorities entered the suite and encountered the youth along with two friends, along with the laser pointer.
After being arrested, Bogard denied he was using the pointer to target players and instead was using it to point at nearly buildings like the Hilton, a little less than a half-mile away, according to the police report obtained by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Pointing it at nearby buildings is pretty much a waste of time and effort: there’s no way to tell under the bright lights if you’re actually reaching the buildings. It’s not a very good excuse.
On the one hand, this was a stupid thing to do; after domestic terrorist attacks like the one in Aurora and Milwaukee there’s a heightened sense of security among most managers of public venues, and the thought a laser could be used with a gun sight isn’t unreasonable. And throwing away the pointer while proclaiming innocence is even dumber. But in the end, the system worked just fine: the kid got caught and will be punished appropriately.
RELATED STORIES: Fan arrested at Cardinals game for using laser pointer
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