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Police arrested a man Wednesday for allegedly throwing a dildo at a New York Liberty game on Aug. 5 against the Wings.
Charles Burgess, 32, faces two counts of assault for throwing the dildo at the arena. His throw didn’t make it onto the court, but instead struck a 12-year-old girl in the leg.
Burgess is one of three known men arrested for throwing a green dildo at a WNBA game. The string of incidents began July 29 at an Atlanta Dream home game, and continued in cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, and Phoenix. The latest known incident occurred on Aug. 7 in Chicago.
A group behind the crypto meme coin called Green Dildo Coin took credit for the throws as a promotional tactic. “We’ve got lots left to cook over the coming weeks. Go green or go home!” the group said in internal communications provided to Front Office Sports following the first dildo throw at a Dream game.
Police arrested 23-year-old Delbert Carver in Georgia and 18-year-old Kaden Lopez in Arizona. Lopez was part of Green Dildo Coin group, but Carver was not, the group told FOS. According to court documents, Lopez said he was “very sorry” for participating in the “stupid prank that was trending on social media.” The Green Dildo Coin group did not immediately respond to a question about Burgess’s affiliation.
The New York City Police Department had previously released a photo of the suspect walking through the Barclays Center wearing a “Beavis and Butthead” shirt. Burgess turned himself in, police tell FOS. According to court records obtained by FOS, law enforcement identified Burgess by Barclays Center video footage, Ticketmaster records, and DMV records from Ohio, where he is from. The maximum prison time would be four years, though such a sentence would be unusual for throwing an object at a sporting event.
The Liberty had acknowledged the active investigation and said they were cooperating with law enforcement. A team spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
WNBA players and coaches spoke out against the dildo throwings. Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve called the incidents “not funny,” and criticized them as the “sexualization of women.” “These people that are doing this should be held accountable, and we’re not the butt of the joke,” Reeve said. “They’re the problem. And we need to take action.”
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