The man who allegedly threw a sex toy toward the court during a New York Liberty game, striking a 12-year-old girl, has been arrested, police said.
New York police arrested Charles Burgess, 32, of Dayton, Ohio, on Wednesday. Burgess was charged with two counts of assault in connection with the incident.
It was not immediately clear whether Burgess has been booked into jail or if he has legal representation.
The NYPD had been searching for the culprit since Aug. 5, when someone threw a sex toy onto the court of the New York Liberty-Dallas Wings game at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, hitting a girl in the leg.
Police said the suspect fled the scene on foot and remained on the lam until Wednesday.
This incident is one of many similar occurrences at WNBA games this summer, including other recent examples in Phoenix, Chicago and Los Angeles. Two men have been arrested in connection with incidents in Georgia and Phoenix.
Barclays Center in Brooklyn.Getty Images
A cryptocurrency group has claimed responsibility for some of the incidents, saying they were designed to promote a so-called memecoin, a digital token whose value changes according to online interest.
In a Friday statement to NBC News, an individual associated with the group called the latest charges “ridiculous” and accused the police of exaggerating the severity of the incident.
“The NYPD labeled a dildo as a dangerous weapon,” said the individual, who was granted anonymity to speak freely. “If they are trying to make a statement we will be working with some of the top lawyers in the country to ensure that our people are treated fairly.”
David K. Li and Emma Butts contributed.