Wife of fan beaten at Dodger Stadium describes hearing the attack and pleads for public’s help

By Times staff

March 31, 2019 11:40 AM PT

A man was seriously hurt at Dodger Stadium after being beaten in a parking lot fight early Saturday morning after a marathon game.

The incident has stunned Dodger fans. And his wife is pleading with the public for help in capturing the attackers.

“We are asking anyone with information to share what they know so we can catch whoever did this to my husband,” she told KTLA.

As of Sunday morning, police said they were still searching for the attackers.

What do we know?

The victim is a 47-year-old man, identified by his wife as Rafael Reyna. He got into a verbal dispute with another man that turned physical sometime after midnight Saturday following the Dodgers game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, said Officer Rosario Cervantes of the Los Angeles Police Department. The Dodgers lost 5-4 in what was the longest regular-season game in the stadium’s history.

The suspect is described as a man in his 20s. Police say he may have driven off in a white SUV, possibly a Toyota 4Runner.

Meanwhile, a video was posted on social media that showed several fans engaged in a brawl inside the stadium during the game. Several people can be seen yelling and hitting each other before the fighting stopped moments later. It was not clear what prompted the brawl.

The victim’s wife, Christel Reyna, said she was on Facetime with her husband when the incident occurred and listened in horror as it unfolded.

“I heard the entire attack because I was on the phone with him at the time,” she told KTLA.

What has been the reaction?

The Dodgers released a statement saying, “an altercation occurred suddenly between two men who were leaving the stadium. One of the men was injured as a result of the altercation. A witness immediately reported the incident to stadium personnel, and emergency medical technicians were promptly dispatched to provide medical assistance at the scene. The matter is now being investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department, and the Dodgers are cooperating fully with the investigation.”

Dodgers fans expressed wariness about the violence.

“You bring your family here,” Kimberly Johnson, who was with her two young daughters, told ABC7 before Saturday night’s game. “Obviously, we have two little ones. You just don’t want to bring any danger to them.”

“I anticipate some tough roads ahead of us,” Christel Reyna told KTLA, “but we believe in the power of our Lord to heal him and carry our family through.”

Have there been other cases like this?

Bryan Stow was at opening day at Dodger Stadium on March 31, 2011, when he was attacked by Louie Sanchez and Marvin Norwood. The pair were ultimately convicted of assaulting Stow and also were ordered to pay a share of the $18-million judgment.

Stow is permanently disabled. The father of two will require around-the-clock medical care for the rest of his life, doctors said.

Stow has since become an anti-bullying advocate. Last week, he spoke to students in the Eureka, Calif., area.

“Bullies changed my life forever,” he told them.