By Dustin Brown and Dylan Butler
A gang of teenagers fired gunshots as they stormed the field during a baseball game at Grover Cleveland High School last Thursday to avenge an alleged dispute with a player, sending players into a panicked flight, police said.
“They basically ran for their lives,” said David Velkas, head coach for Stuyvesant High School's baseball team, which was playing the Cleveland Tigers when the violence broke out.
Police responding to the afternoon melee in Ridgewood arrested eight teen-age boys from Brooklyn, who face charges of attempted murder, assault, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon, a spokeswoman for Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.
Although at least one of the eight is affiliated with the Latin Kings gang, law enforcement sources said the incident was not believed to be gang-related.
Law enforcement sources said the attack stemmed from an alleged dispute earlier in the day between Cleveland player Ricardo Perez and Pedro Rodriguez, 15, one of the eight charged in the case.
Rodriguez allegedly approached the field to continue the fight when the baseball game was just getting under way, then returned twice – accompanied by a growing crowd – before finally taking the field, sources said.
Jack Ciano, the Grover Cleveland baseball coach for 14 years, said his team met with parents and Principal Dominick Scarola Monday to discuss the situation and decide whether to continue its season.
The team voted 13-1 to finish the season, which was scheduled to resume Wednesday at home against Grand Street Campus.
“To me, this is an act of terrorism and I would hate to lose the season because of a terrorist act,” Ciano said. “This is our field. We want to use our field and feel safe on our field.”
Brown identified the defendants as Rodriguez; Julio Ramos, 16; Pedro Ramos, 19; Miguel Torres, 17; Anthony Concepcion, 17; and Ricky Ramirez, 16, all of whom are Brooklyn residents. They were arraigned Saturday in Queens Criminal Court before Judge Robert McGann.
The other two defendants are only 14 and 15 years old and were sent to Queens Family Court, the spokeswoman said.
Rodriguez – who allegedly fired some of the gunshots – is being charged as an adult but would be sentenced as a juvenile offender, which means he faces only 3 1/3 to 10 years in prison if convicted, Brown's spokeswoman said. The others face maximum sentences of 25 years.
The game with Stuyvesant ended abruptly around the sixth inning when the gang allegedly invaded the field armed with guns, bottles and baseball bats, according to the criminal complaint filed by Brown's office.
“I turned around and saw a gang of about 15 to 20 kids walking right onto the field,” Velkas said. “One kid ran past me and had a silver pistol. They then grabbed Grover Cleveland's bats and started chasing them with their own bats.”
Shots were fired toward some of the players who were fleeing the group, the complaint said.
Teenagers in the group were overhead saying, “Snap the guys in white,” alluding to the white uniforms of the Cleveland team, the complaint said.
“They were very shaken up o see someone with a gun run past you and not know if they're going to turn around and shoot you,” Velkas said of the Stuyvesant players.
One Grover Cleveland player suffered a severe gash on his leg as he scaled a fence to escape, the complaint said.
Ciano said security, including uniformed police officers from the 104th Precinct, will be beefed up for its remaining home games.
“It's going to be good for everyone, regardless of the outcome, to just get back out and play games together,” Ciano said. “I think it's going to be therapeutic. There is going to be some apprehension, but I think that will pass with time.”
Reach reporter Dustin Brown by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 154.
