Tourist Arrested After Stepping Onto U.S. Open Court
An Ecuadorian tourist seeking an autograph has been charged with running out onto the tennis court at the Louis Armstrong Tennis Stadium during a U.S. Open match last Wednesday, Sept. 5.
According to Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown, just after the singles match between Novak Djokovic and Stanislas Wawrinka, Damian Proano, 40, left his seat and entered the court. He was immediately detained and removed from the field by security personnel.
Proano, who is presently awaiting arraignment in Queens Criminal Court, is charged with remaining upon the playing area of a major venue sporting event. If convicted, he faces up to one year in jail and/or a fine of $1,000.
District Attorney Brown noted in a statement that while Proano might possibly have been simply an overzealous fan seeking an autograph, in 1993, tennis pro Monica Seles was stabbed in the back by a spectator during a match in Hamburg, Germany.
“There is no such thing as being too careful,” said District Attorney Brown.
He added that the City Council passed the Interference with a Professional Sporting Event Law in 2003 after fashion designer Calvin Klein stepped out onto the basketball court at Madison Square Garden in March 2003 to speak with player Latrell Sprewell while a Knicks game was in progress.
John McCarthy, 38, of Clifton, N.J., was the first person charged under the law when he ran onto the field during a Mets game at Shea Stadium on May 4, 2004, carrying a sign that read “Howard Stern: Here’s Johnny.” McCarthy pleaded guilty in August 2004 and was sentenced to eight weekends in jail, fined $2,000 and ordered to serve three years’ probation, during which he was prohibited from going to Shea Stadium.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Morgan Goulet, of the District Attorney’s Economic Crimes Bureau, under the supervision of Gregory C. Pavlides, Bureau Chief, and Christina Hanophy, Deputy Bureau Chief, and the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney of the Investigations Division Peter A. Crusco and Deputy Executive Assistant District Attorney for Investigations Linda M. Cantoni.
It was noted that a complaint is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
