Blackhawks Fan Blames Staples Center for Beating By Kings Fans

A lawsuit filed by a Chicago Blackhawks fan who says he was beaten by drunken Los Angeles Kings fans during a playoff game alleges Staples Center lacked sufficient security and that the arena’s loudspeaker was wrongfully used to broadcast spiteful comments by hometown followers against the visiting team and its devotees.

Bruce Dobrowski’s Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit against team owner Anschutz Entertainment Group alleges violation of a safety statute. His wife and fellow plaintiff, Catherine Dobrowski, alleges loss of consortium. They are seeking $1.5 million.

An AEG representative could not be immediately reached.

According to the complaint filed Tuesday, the Dobrowskis attended game three of the Western Conference Finals at Staples Center on May 24, 2014. The couple and some friends went to the game in Blackhawk attire, which made them “unassuming prime targets for the anger and hostility by Kings fans who had become fueled by the AEG-Staples Center’s unchecked provision for sale of beer and wine,” the suit alleges.

The anti-Blackhawk atmosphere was further exacerbated by arena loudspeaker broadcasts of hometown fans chanting such things as as “Go Kings, kill Hawks,” according to the lawsuit.

Bruce Dobrowski and one of his companions were “brutally assaulted and battered, in plain sight of inept, understaffed and ineffective security,” the suit alleges.

Dobrowski says he was forced to “fend for himself after rendered semi- conscious from blows with the singular assistance provided only by one other good Samaritan attendee.”

Dobrowski’s face was lacerated and his facial bones were permanently fractured, the suit states. He also suffered injuries to his back, neck, upper torso and hands, and additionally experienced emotional distress, the suit alleges.

Dobrowski’s injuries have “interfered and curtailed the marital relationship” between him and his wife, according to the complaint.

The Kings beat the Blackhawks that night, 4-3. They went on to win the series and later their second Stanley Cup against the New York Rangers in the finals.

OTHER PATCH HEADLINES

• Suge Knight Refuses to Leave Cell for Beverly Hills Robbery Trial
• U2 Manager Dies in West Hollywood Hotel After Forum Show
• Gas Leak Closes Eastbound Wilshire Boulevard
• Fugitive Valley LAPD Officer Arrested in Mexico on Murder Charge
• Local Leaders Strike Defiant Tone in Face of Immigration Ruling
• PCH to Close While Crews Install Rockslide Netting
• Torrent of Car v. Bike Crashes Prompts Police Crack-Down
• Deputies Hurt in Rollover Crash While Dealing with Man Throwing Bottles on PCH

City News Service

Photo: Patch Archive