Wrigley Field Arrest: Man Charged After Fan Is Punched at Chicago Crosstown Classic

Police say restroom-area assault was separate from widely shared stands brawl

CHICAGO — A 41-year-old man was arrested after a fan was punched near a restroom at Wrigley Field as Monday night’s Crosstown Classic between the Cubs and White Sox was ending, according to Chicago police and court records. The alleged assault was separate from a highly circulated fight in the stands during the game, police said.

The Cubs beat the White Sox 7-5 in extra innings at the Chicago ballpark, but the game was also marked by multiple reported disturbances. Authorities said the incident that led to the battery charge happened outside a restroom while the game was wrapping up, rather than during the eighth-inning confrontation captured on video by spectators.

The 26-year-old victim told officers that he was “sucker punched” in the face with a right fist, according to a police report. The blow caused his nose to bleed, the report said. Police arrested David Cregan, 41, of Chicago’s Archer Heights neighborhood, at about 10:43 p.m.

Cregan was charged with misdemeanor battery and felony possession of cocaine, police records show. Details about what preceded the alleged punch, including whether the victim and Cregan knew each other, were not immediately available.

The Chicago Police Department also reported two additional arrests connected to trespassing at Wrigley Field that night. Neither arrest was tied to the brawl shown in the widely shared video from the stands, according to the information released by police.

No charges announced in eighth-inning fight

The stands fight drew particular attention because it unfolded during the late stages of a closely contested rivalry game and was recorded by fans. Police said the restroom-area assault and the brawl were not connected, an important distinction as accounts of several disruptions circulated after the game.

No criminal charges related to the stands brawl had been announced in the information provided by police. The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office did not immediately say whether it had reviewed potential charges arising from that confrontation.

Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong addressed the altercation after the game, calling the fight in the stands “unfortunate and somewhat nauseating.” His comments came after the Cubs completed the extra-inning victory over their crosstown rivals.

Major sporting events routinely bring large crowds and heightened security concerns, particularly during rivalry matchups, but authorities treated the reported restroom assault, trespassing cases and stands brawl as separate matters. Cregan faces the battery and cocaine-possession allegations, while the status of any investigation into the eighth-inning brawl had not been publicly detailed.