BOSTON (AP) — A man was arrested and escorted out of the arena after throwing a can of hard seltzer onto the court near the San Antonio Spurs bench during Wednesday night’s game with the Boston Celtics, Boston police said Thursday.
Justin Arnold, 22, of Everett, was charged with disturbing a public assembly. Arnold appeared to be intoxicated, police said in a statement.
He was released on personal recognizance after pleading not guilty Thursday but was held briefly because of an alleged probation violation in an unrelated assault case.
The 20-ounce can thrown from the balcony landed on the court and sprayed all over the floor “when the crowd started to scrutinize the refs for what appeared to be a terrible call against the Celtics,” police said. The can missed a Spurs player by just a few inches, police said.
The can was thrown as Celtics guard Kemba Walker argued with a referee.
Arnold later apologized in a call to an iHeart Radio station in Boston, saying he was angry with the call and was not thinking. He said he did not have any disrespect for the Spurs organization.
Arnold was arrested after police reviewed surveillance video and talked to witnesses.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens said he apologized to the Spurs after the game.