Michael Rae Papayans Charged in Alleged October Dodger Stadium Assault

Michael Rae Papayans of Palos Verdes, California, was charged with felony assault Thursday for an alleged October 2015 incident at Dodger Stadium.  

According to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com), Papayans is accused of punching a 50-year-old man who was wearing New York Mets gear following an Oct. 9 NLDS Game 1 playoff clash between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Mets.

The man's head is reported to have hit the parking lot pavement, which left him knocked unconscious.

If convicted, Papayans could face up to seven years in prison.

Per Willian Avila and Andrew Blankstein of NBC Los Angeles, the 27-year-old Papayans' mother is alleged to have kicked the victim while he was unconscious.

Papayans was released on $30,000 bail after a Feb. 11 arrest, and he faces a March 11 arraignment.

Fan violence became a hot-button issue at Dodger Stadium in 2011 when two men assaulted San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow, causing brain damage.

That led to concern about fan safety during Frank McCourt's tenure as owner of the Dodgers, who subsequently sold the team to Guggenheim Baseball Management.

With an alleged fan-on-fan attack outside Dodger Stadium now back at the forefront, the organization's ownership group may be inclined to put even greater security measures in place ahead of the team's April 12 home opener.

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