Police charge man with giving alcohol to underage Pirates fan who fell from PNC Park stands
A man from outside Pittsburgh is facing criminal charges for allegedly giving alcohol to Kavan Markwood, the 20-year-old who fell from the PNC Park stands onto the right field warning track during an April 20 game between the Pirates and the Chicago Cubs.
Police arrested 21-year-old Ethan Kirkwood of McKeesport, Pa., on Tuesday. Online court documents show he is charged with two third-degree misdemeanor counts of furnishing alcohol to an underage person. Kirkwood is set to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on June 23.
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Kirkwood's criminal record includes several past run-ins with law enforcement over alcohol-related incidents. He pleaded guilty in two separate public drunkenness cases from January and February of 2023. Both of those cases included charges for purchasing alcohol while underage. Kirkwood was 18 years old at the time of the first case, and 19 for the second.
A criminal complaint obtained by WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh said Kirkwood admitted to buying alcohol for Markwood.
The complaint said police reviewed surveillance video from PNC Park that showed Kirkwood buying two 24-ounce beers, and later showed Kirkwood and Markwood walking together, each holding a beer.
After Markwood fell, the complaint said, security cameras recorded two women 'running down the stairs and looking for Kirkwood. Kirkwood is then seen handing a can to a female who throws it in the trash and jumping over a railing and then jumped on the field to help his friend.'
Medical staff took Markwood off the field on a stretcher after his fall from the 21-foot-high Clemente Wall. He arrived at Allegheny General Hospital in critical condition.
A week later, Markwood's doctor confirmed he suffered injuries to his skull, spine, ribs and lungs, and Markwood said he was dealing with 'a lot of back pain.' He had already started physical therapy at that point and had begun to walk again.
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