Rowdy Hockey Fans Celebrate Kings Victory
Posted on June 12, 2012 Written By: iadminlaw
It was a victory 45 years in the making. The Los Angeles Kings beat the New Jersey Devils 6-1 to win its first ever Stanley Cup in franchise history.
Founded by the late Jack Kent Cooke in 1967, the Kings always had top players on its roster – most notably, Wayne Gretzki – but never an NHL Championship. That all changed last night when captain Dustin Brown scored a goal and got two assists, and Jeff Carter and Trevor Lewis each scored a goal to best the devils in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.
English: Staples Center in the daytime, as photographed around noon on July 11, 2004. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
It was a proud night for the City of Angels as the Kings made good on a promise to bring another sports victory to Los Angeles – something the Lakers haven’t done since 2010 and the Dodgers since 1988.
(Granted, the Ducks won the Stanley Cup in 2007 and the Angels won the World Series in 2002, but the writer of this blog is not a fan of either of those teams. And because the Clippers have never won an NBA Championship in their team history, they don’t count.)
Basking in the glory of victory, a large group of Kings fans – some of them bandwagoners – gathered near the Staples Center and caused mayhem.
Several individuals were taken into custody near Figueroa and Olympic where a woman was hit in the face with a skateboard. At 11th and Figueroa, some of the revelers threw water bottles at Los Angeles police officers, but no one fired guns.
Police officers on foot and horseback pushed the crowds away from L.A. Live where fans set small fires in the plaza.
A group of the fans even tried to topple an MTA bus over. LAPD responded by firing non-lethal rounds, a substance that doesn’t appear to work on Laker fans, at the rowdy group. Once the rounds were fired, the crowds quickly dispersed. By late Monday night, most of the streets near the Staples Center had been cleared. It was, after all, a week night.
According to the LAPD, the Kings fans were rowdy but generally well-behaved, which is a stark contrast to Laker fans who are known to cause riots after the iconic NBA team wins, especially after they beat the Celtics or the Spurs.
No matter which Los Angeles team claims victory for the City of Angels, it is important to use caution when there are large crowds, especially in public areas. Sometimes violence breaks out when there are large crowds and people get hurt. If you or a loved one is injured by law enforcement or a trouble-maker in the crowd, you may want to contact a personal injury attorney to determine if you’re eligible to collect compensation. A properly trained injury lawyer can help you with all your legal matters and help you receive the compensation you deserve for your pain and suffering.
