Home » Santa Clarita News » Crime » Court » Five New Lawsuits Against L.A. Dodgers Security For False Arrests, Excessive Force 
dodgers lawsuit
Courtesy of diDonato Law Center

Five New Lawsuits Against L.A. Dodgers Security For False Arrests, Excessive Force 

Five more lawsuits have been filed against the Los Angeles Dodgers for alleged acts of violence by security personnel in 2021 and 2022.

Some of the claims filed against the Dodgers security include assault, battery, false imprisonment, false arrest, violation of civil rights and emotional distress, according to officials with the diDonato Law Center.

Security guards cannot be permitted to act with impunity, and the Los Angeles Dodgers organization must be held accountable for misconduct of their employees, according to the Law Center.

Each Plaintiff seeks compensatory, emotional distress and punitive damages.

First lawsuit: Gregory Page Dixon

On May 29, 2021, Dixon and a friend attended the baseball game of the Dodgers versus the Giants.

Dixon was returning from the men’s restroom when a Security guard approached and falsely accused him of public urination near a bus, according to the lawsuit.

Dixon told the guard that was not him, and walked off.

“Moments later he was tackled from behind, thrown to the ground and handcuffed,” the lawsuit reads.

The plaintiff was citizen arrested for battery on a security guard, and booked at LAPD.

“When he appeared in court, no charges were filed,” according to the lawsuit.

Dixon sustained bruises and marks to his head, arms and wrists, and was forced to retain an attorney to protect and defend his legal interests.

The Dodgers have not released surveillance videos of this attack.

Second Lawsuit: Jessica Vielmas And two Children

On June 15, 2022, Vielmas, her two children and her cousin attended the Dodger Stadium when the Dodgers faced the Guardians on a Friday night so they could attend the aftergame fireworks show, according to the lawsuit.

Vielmasand her family walked to where they were directed by security to the field level.

“Without warning or reason, a security guard ran to Jessica and began striking her chest and shoulder with a flashlight,” the lawsuit reads. “Jessica tried to back away, but the striking continued in the presence of her children and cousin.”

A uniformed LAPD officer appeared, and told Vielmas to leave the Stadium or she would be arrested, and verbally intimidated her by yelling that she was a bad mother, according to the lawsuit.

The two security guards reportedly yanked Vielmas by her arms and carried her outside the gates.

“Jessica was never told the reason for the attack or for her ejection from the Stadium,” the lawsuit read. “A fun-filled night turned into a nightmare.”

This “senseless attack” left Vielmas with many bruises and further damage to her shoulder for which she was already receiving treatment. The Dodgers have not produced surveillance videos of this attack.

 

Insert Video

Third lawsuit: Michelle Jean Schwandt

On June 17, 2022, Schwandt and friends attended the baseball game of the Dodgers versus Angels.

While in her seat watching the game, she was approached by a security guard who told her “come with us, that guy wants to talk with you,” according to the lawsuit.

Security personnel never told her the reason for the request, and she responded “he can come here and talk with me,” the lawsuit read.

“Again, security guards refused to tell her the reason, and she remained in her seat,” reads the lawsuit. “Then multiple security guards forcibly dragged her from her seat, and she was citizen arrested for battery on a security guard.”

However, the only battery that occurred was by Dodgers security personnel, according to the lawsuit.

Schwandt was booked by LAPD officers. When Schwandt reported to Court, no charges were filed.

The victim later learned that she was accused of vaping, when in fact, the vaping occurred by another fan sitting in front of her. Schwandt suffered extensive bruising and injury to her ankle and leg, and is seeking further medical attention.

A fan was able to capture video of the arrest.

The Dodgers have not released surveillance videos of this attack.

Fourth Lawsuit: Daniel Ultreras

On July 19, 2022, Ultreras and his girlfriend attended the All-Star Game. During the 7th inning Ultreras was not feeling well, and he and his girlfriend began to leave Dodger Stadium after he vomited, according to officials.

“Security guards observed vomiting, and they did not attempt to assist him,” the lawsuit said. “Instead, security guards surrounded Daniel, and escalated the situation by taunting, pushing and poking him,” the lawsuit read. “A security guard even attempted to trip him.”

As Ultreras was walking away towards the exit, a security guard yelled out “take him to the ground, take him into custody,” according to the Lawsuit against the Dodgers.

“Daniel was tackled, beaten, handcuffed and falsely arrested for battery on a security guard,” the lawsuit reads. “Daniel was booked by LAPD, and he has a court appearance in August.”

However, the only battery that occurred was by Dodgers security personnel.

Ultreras suffered extensive bruising and is seeking further medical attention.

Fortunately, these events were captured on video taken by Ultreras’s girlfriend.

The Dodgers have not released surveillance videos of this attack.

Fifth Lawsuit: Oscar Emilio Letona

On July 19, 2022, Letona and a friend attended the All-Star Game.

The two went through the corridor filled with awards, and were asked to leave, according to officials.

“Oscar voiced his concerns that he was being racially profiled because other non-Hispanic fans were not asked to leave,” the lawsuit read.

As Letona and his friend were leaving the corridor to take a down escalator, a Dodgers security person yelled for him to be arrested, although he did nothing wrong, according to the lawsuit.

“Oscar was followed by a security guard,” the lawsuit reads. “At the bottom landing of the escalator, Oscar was jumped from behind, thrown to the ground and handcuffed by three additional security guards. Oscar was citizen arrested, booked for battery on a security guard and has a court appearance in August.”

However, the only battery that occurred was by Dodgers security personnel, according to the lawsuit.

Letona suffered a concussion, extensive bruising and injury to his wrists and arms, and is seeking further medical attention.

The events were captured on video taken by Letona and his friend who picked up Letona’s phone after the attack, and continued to video the wrongful arrest.

The end of the video shows the security guard attacker grabbing the phone.

The Dodgers have not released surveillance videos of this attack.

Dodgers Ownership And Management Must Purge Violent Renegade Security Guards And Off-duty Police

“The Dodgers organization refuses to investigate claims of improper security guard conduct, and refuses to enforce its own Procedures Manuel to ensure fan safety,” according to the lawsuit.

“This ratification of misconduct is made worse by the L.A. City Attorney which, likewise, refuses to investigate the illegal activity of security guards yellow jackets, moonlighting police blue polo shirts, and off-duty uniformed LAPD Dodgers employees at the games,” the lawsuit reads.

An independent investigation by proper government agencies and MLB is necessary to assure fan safety from excessive and illegal conduct by Dodgers security personnel.

Fans must be free from harassment by the Dodgers security guards.

Dodgers ownership and management must make policy changes to prevent abuse of the loyal fans.

“Fans of Major League Baseball demand that Dodgers ownership immediately change the heavy-handed policies at Dodger Stadium which began after the 2011 Brian Stow tragedy. The answer is smarter professional security, including proper investigation, respectful talking with fans, proper training and, when necessary, discipline of security personnel to maintain a safe and secure Dodger Stadium,” the lawsuit said.


Sponsored Articles


Do you have a news tip? Call us at (661) 298-1220, or send an email to news@hometownstation.com. Don’t miss a thing. Get breaking KHTS Santa Clarita News Alerts delivered right to your inbox. Report a typo or error, email Corrections@hometownstation.com

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

KHTS AM 1220 & FM 98.1 - Santa Clarita Radio - Santa Clarita News

Five New Lawsuits Against L.A. Dodgers Security For False Arrests, Excessive Force 

2 comments

  1. Cheap seats in outfield bleachers, where beer is served copiously. Draws low-life like 💩 draws fles.

  2. Of course there is lawsuits, unruly trouble causers don’t like it when peace is restored!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About KHTS News Release

As Santa Clarita’s only local radio station, KHTS FM 98.1 & AM 1220 mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, along with your favorite adult contemporary hits by artists such as Rob Thomas, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and Maroon 5. We are vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community. Our broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. We stream our talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience.