An 18-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly throwing a water bottle onto the field at Rice-Eccles Stadium and hitting a member of the BYU cheerleading team.
University of Utah Police said they arrested the man on suspicion of assault Tuesday. The man was booked into the Salt Lake County jail and released the same day. So far, there have been no formal charges filed.
The man was with his family in a suite in the Ken Garff Zone, which was located directly above the tunnel to the visiting team’s locker room on the south end of the stadium, according to a probable cause statement filed with the 3rd District Court. After the Cougars had come from behind to win the game, the man yelled “f--- BYU,” the statement said, and threw a disposable water bottle ”in the direction of the BYU football team and supporting staff on the field. A BYU Cheer Coach standing up against the cement wall below the bleachers was struck in the head with the water bottle and collapsed immediately."
BYU cheer coach Jocelyn Allan said in a post she shared on Instagram that she was the person injured during Saturday night’s rivalry game.
“At the conclusion of tonight’s BYU/Utah game, a Utah fan in the table seats in the south end zone threw a water bottle and hit me directly in the head. I lost consciousness but thankfully was lowered to the ground by one of my cheerleaders,” she wrote.
According to the probable cause statement, the injured coach “is currently experiencing symptoms of a concussion and awaiting diagnosis from follow-up doctor visits.”
The 18-year-old man’s father called police the day after the game to report his son as a suspect, according to the probable cause statement. A witness in another suite also identified the teenager as the person who threw the bottle, according to the document.
Utah police said the man arrested was not a student at the university.
