A man was arrested Friday for felony vandalism after driving his SUV onto the Petco Park field, which is the home of Major League Baseball’s San Diego Padres, San Diego Police said, according to Alex Riggins of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The video below shows the driver tearing up the dirt surface before members of the grounds crew blocked his exit, allowing police officers to apprehend him before he could drive away.
“After about a minute, he came to a stop, and a bunch of the grounds crew guys made their way to the car and did like a citizens’ arrest,” Ryan Carlson, who works at the stadium, said. “It happened peacefully, wasn’t aggressive, at least as far as I saw. They walked him over and sat him down.”
Members of San Diego’s grounds crew have begun field preparations for the 2022 MLB season despite the lockout.
The Padres finished the 2021 season with a disappointing 79-83 record, missing the playoffs for the 14th time in 15 seasons.
In response, the team fired manager Jayce Tingler in October and replaced him with Bob Melvin in hopes of having a bounce-back 2022 campaign.