Second person arrested for throwing sex toy at WNBA game, allegedly hit man and his 9-year-old niece in stands

Yahoo

12 hours ago

A second man has been arrested for throwing a green sex toy at a WNBA game, a trend in which there are now five known incidents.
Kaden Lopez, 18, was arrested on Wednesday after police said he was caught on video throwing a the object toward the court at the Phoenix Mercury's game against the Connecticut Sun, according to Fox 10 Phoenix. The object did not reach the court, instead hitting a bystander and his 9-year-old niece.
Lopez was reportedly booked into jail on suspicion of disorderly conduct, assault and public display of explicit sexual material.
From Fox 10:
"Video footage shows Lopez, sitting in his seat, he retrieves the green dildo from his sweater front pocket then throws the dildo forward. He then stands up and leaves the area," a court document read.
Lopez reportedly apologized for his actions and described them as a "stupid prank that was trending on social media." Documents reportedly show he bought the sex toy on Monday to take it to the game.
The man who was struck by the toy reportedly wants Lopez prosecuted, as do the WNBA and the operators of the Mercury's PHX Arena:
"The adult male victim was interviewed. He stated he was watching the WNBA game with his 9-year-old niece, when something hit his back then fell to the ground next to them. He realized the object that hit him was a dildo. He desires prosecution," the court document read.
The first known incident occurred on July 29, when a toy landed on the court at a Golden State Valkyries-Atlanta Dream game. Similar objects have made it to the courts at a Chicago Sky and Los Angeles Sparks game, with the latter appearing to hit Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham on Tuesday.
On the same night as that Sparks game, sex toys were also thrown at a New York Liberty game and the Mercury game, with both staying in the stands.
These all appear to be the work of different people. The person who allegedly threw the toy in Atlanta has since been arrested and identified as Delbert Carver, 23, per cleveland.com. He reportedly faces charges of disorderly conduct, public indecency/indecent exposure and criminal trespass. No suspects had been identified from the other games until Lopez, but it was reported at the time of his arrest that Carver wasn't responsible for the second incident in Chicago.
Overall, the WNBA has taken a very dim view toward these people, warning that anyone who does this will face immediate ejection, criminal charges and a minimum one-year ban from games. Some players were amused by the first couple incidents, but others have raised safety concerns, including Cunningham.
Sparks coach Lynne Roberts also blasted the activity as simply idiotic:
"It's ridiculous. It's dumb. It's stupid," Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said after the game of the string of incidents. "It's also dangerous, and you know, player safety is No. 1, respecting the game, all those things.
"I think it's really stupid."
Similar concerns were raised by Buffalo Bills employees a few years ago about the trend of throwing sex toys on the field at New England Patriots games.
All of these incidents have created questions of security for the WNBA. So far, the league has announced no changes, though it's possible the threat of prosecution and public identification could aid prevention going forward.