Royals fan threatened with arrest after catching home run ball, lawsuit alleges

In May, the 3,000th home run baseball hit at Kauffman Stadium was hit by star Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. into a left field water fountain. A fan retrieved the ball without entering the fountain, but had the ball taken from him and was escorted out of the stadium by off-duty police officers, a lawsuit alleges.

Michael Liberty Jr. has filed a suit against the baseball team, seeking ownership of the ball, which he values at more than $30,000.

After Witt hit the 442-foot bomb in the first inning on May 30, Liberty alleges he leaned over a fence without leaving the ground and scooped the ball into his hat without touching the water. One Kauffman Stadium staff member applauded Liberty while a second worker “did not see the big issue” and went to check with a supervisor.

Liberty was allegedly told he could not leave before a supervisor assessed the situation. The supervisor arrived and allegedly told Liberty he had committed a crime and could be arrested. The supervisor took the ball, and Liberty was allegedly escorted out by three off-duty officers.

Kauffman Stadium’s policy states that people who enter a fountain will be immediately arrested, “transported to the police station downtown and charged to the fullest extent of the law”.

The Royals declined to comment on pending litigation.

Liberty learned later that evening that the ball taken from him was a milestone marker, which currently sits in the Royals Hall of Fame.

“This was all based on the unlawful enforcement of a non-existent policy, stretching an existing rule against entering the fountains,” Liberty said in a statement sent to The Star.

Liberty filed a complaint with guest services the same day, and spoke with the director of guest relations three days later. The director told him there is footage of the incident and accused Liberty of violating the stadium’s policy, the lawsuit states.

Liberty is adamant that signs around fountains do not prohibit fans from reaching over the fence to grab balls, the suit says, while citing several instances where fans have grabbed balls from the fountain with allegedly no punishment.

“I believe that the evidence will show that the only “crime” I committed was being the one who retrieved the baseball,” Liberty said in his statement. “This is obvious from the fact that at no point did I ever ‘enter’ the fountain to retrieve the baseball.

“It is clear that the Royals’ intent all along was to get the baseball from me and display it at their Hall of Fame as the 3,000th home run hit at Kauffman Stadium.”

In his statement, Liberty said he has been a baseball fan since childhood and a Royals fan for most of his life. He has “a daily, painful feeling” after the incident.

“Beyond the illegible fountain signage and the inconsistent enforcement of ‘rules for me, not for thee,’ every fan attending a game deserves to feel protected from undue accusations and aggression by staff whose role is to promote safety,” Liberty said.

“I will continue to advocate not only for myself but for all fans who should not endure such treatment and heartache,” he stated.

‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’

‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source ca.sports.yahoo.com ’