WNBA Ups the Ante Against NSFW Toy Throwing Individuals With Latest Arrest

The WNBA has been working with teams and local law enforcement to identify and arrest the perpetrators involved in these incidents.

WNBA Ups the Ante Against NSFW Toy Throwing Individuals With Latest Arrest

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert (Image via FirstSportz)

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For about a period of 10 days, the WNBA was subjected to a reign of prank-induced terror after fans threw NSFW objects onto the basketball court at different venues while athletes were playing.

Initially, it was green NSFW toys, then a purple one came to the fore as the league struggled to keep a lid on the pranks. Athletes asked fans not to throw such objects, as they could hurt someone.

But those pleas fell on deaf ears as 3 additional toys landed on the courts, whereas one ended up hitting fans. The perpetrator of this one happened to be an 18-year-old boy, who was arrested on that night itself and charged with assault and a couple of other charges.

The perpetrator of the 1st prank in Atlanta, identified as 23-year-old Delbert Carver, was arrested in Crawford County, Georgia. He was charged with disorderly conduct, public indecency/indecent exposure, and criminal trespass.

The WNBA has been working with law enforcement to identify and arrest the other three perpetrators whose toys landed on the court. Now, as per The Athletic, a 3rd person has been arrested.

In this particular instance, the toy did not land on the court. Rather, the man, 32-year-old Charles Burgess from Dayton, Ohio, threw his toy, but ended up hitting a 12-year-old girl sitting nearby.

The incident occurred on Aug. 5th when he went to watch the game between the Dallas Wings and New York Liberty at Barclays Center. The New York Police Department reviewed Arena CCTV footage along with an eyewitness’ statement to zero in on Burgess.

Perpetrator facing 10 charges after WNBA and NYPD investigation

During these pranks, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and her top staff did not issue any particular statement. They did, however, start a ‘no bag’ policy that did not last long.

Luckily for the WNBA the All-Star weekend was not affected
Luckily for the WNBA the All-Star weekend was not affected (Image via Chris/X)

Instead, it seems the league has quietly gone about collaborating with law enforcement to bring these perpetrators to justice. In this instance, Charles Burgess is facing 10 charges.

The most important of those is second-degree assault, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 7 years. He pleaded not guilty to those charges, but it is expected that the league will look to bring the full force of the law down on him.

The league is doing everything to ensure such incidents do not repeat. After those incidents, The Athletic revealed that these incidents were a result of a cryptocurrency group’s attempts to generate publicity.

Perpetrator voluntarily surrendered to NYPD after WNBA investigation

The Athletic reached out to Charles Burgess’ attorney, Paul D’Emilia, via email to get some context on the situation. The attorney’s reply revealed that his client drove overnight from Ohio and surrendered to the NYPD.

He does not regularly attend WNBA games, he is a casual fan, and he is not involved in any of these or prior incidents. Mr. Burgess intends to vigorously fight these embellished and exaggerated charges. There seems to be video evidence that no one was actually struck by the thrown object, rendering any of the included assault charges unsustainable.

Excerpt from Paul D’Emilia’s email to The Athletic

The father of 6 is due back in court on December 15th. If found guilty, he would face the maximum prison term of the three perpetrators arrested to date. Despite these arrests, the WNBA is still on the lookout for three other perpetrators who threw NSFW toys onto the court. Two of those incidents took place in Chicago, and one in Los Angeles.

It is possible that both the Chicago incidents were by different people. Once the WNBA identifies them, more arrests will follow, as will the charges levied on them. The league is trying to set an example so that players do not get affected.

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