‘He Got What He Wanted’: Pittsburgh Stadium Employee Suspended After Taking His Belt Off to Beat Fan Who Spit on Him In Viral Video Gets Support Online
A Black PNC Stadium usher for the Pittsburgh Pirates was suspended after he pulled off his belt and whipped a white fan during an altercation this week. The dust-up was recorded on video and is making the rounds on social media, with the vast majority of commenters siding with the stadium employee and criticizing the media for showing a truncated clip.
“This isn’t the entire video. The fan was intimidating and wanting confrontation. He got what he wanted, now watch the lawsuit,” wrote one observer on Instagram.
The white man reportedly harassed a female food and beverage employee during the May 4 home game against the San Diego Padres. During the clash that followed, he spat twice in the usher’s face.
“Following the conclusion of yesterday’s game, as the final few fans were exiting the ballpark, there was a verbal altercation between two male guests and a female food and beverage employee. At that time, the ballpark game-day employee seen in the video attempted to intervene on her behalf,” Pirates senior vice president of communications Brian Warecki said in an official statement via Fox News.
In a longer video posted to Reddit, the two men can be seen circling each other in the stadium concourse, getting ready to throw punches, when the white man spat on the usher, who appeared to retain his composure. A white female bystander stepped in, repeatedly yelling “stop” and telling the white man to “knock it off, there are kids around,” but he ignored the warnings — to his detriment.
The agitated fan walked toward the usher and spat directly in his face a second time, prompting other bystanders to jump in and try to quell the confrontation. While the man was distracted, the usher took off his belt and walked over to the still-combative fan and struck him with it twice, saying, “Spit on me again!”
“When he took the belt off, I almost died laughing,” read one comment on Reddit. “Spitting on someone when you can’t fight is a b***h move,” observed another.
One Instagram user pointed out that if the white man was indeed harassing a female employee, the usher should get promoted, not suspended. “Big detail that was left out! This employee needs a promotion and a raise for protecting that woman!” read a comment that has nearly 4,500 likes.
“It’s funny folks don’t people expect a reaction after spitting in someone’s face? Like someone is just going to stand there are accept it? 
,” wrote another supporter of the employee, echoing many comments. “I stand with the stadium employee,” was the overall sentiment of thousands of comments.
But the Pirates organization management didn’t see it that way.
“We are aware of the unfortunate incident that occurred following the conclusion of yesterday’s game between a PNC Park game-day employee and a guest. The employee’s behavior was entirely unacceptable, and he was immediately suspended. This incident is currently under further investigation,” Pirates senior vice president of communications Brian Warecki said in a statement on May 6.
On April 30, another fan, 20-year-old Kavan Markwood, fell more than 20 feet over a wall in right field, which the police are treating as an accident. He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, but is reportedly now awake and responsive.
The Pirates, who were 12-26 after Wednesday’s 5-0 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, seem to be having a tough time all around. In the latest incident, no criminal charges have been filed as of May 6, according to CBS Sports.