In a disturbing incident captured on video, a San Antonio Spurs supporter was attacked by an unruly crowd who ripped away his jersey during the chaos that erupted in Midtown following Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
The confrontation occurred just after midnight on Tuesday when the 39-year-old fan was making his way back to his hotel, as reported by the NYPD. The encounter took place outside 306 West 47th Street, where a large group confronted him.
Social media footage depicts the man in a Spurs jersey attempting to evade the mob as they closed in on him. Despite his efforts to flee, he was surrounded and subjected to physical assault.
In the frenzy, the Spurs fan was punched, kicked, and his Tim Duncan No. 21 jersey was forcibly removed. This incident unfolded amid the chaos caused by throngs of Knicks fans in Midtown, who were reacting to their team’s narrow defeat in Monday night’s Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
The fan made attempts to defend himself but was ultimately overpowered and knocked to the ground. As the video shows, he endured repeated kicks before managing to flee down the street, with members of the mob in pursuit.
While running away, a member of the mob was seen kicking him to the ground, clips showed.
He suffered cuts to his face and bruising and was taken to Mount Sinai West Hospital in stable condition, cops said.
The NYPD released pictures of six separate people wanted in connection with the violent robbery.
Though none of the wanted individuals appeared to be pictured in Knicks merch, many fans clad in blue and orange were seen in the massive crowd closing in on the Spurs fan.
Some New Yorkers and Knicks faithful blasted the hooligans for the violence in subsequent videos shared online.
Police arrested 21 people overnight for offenses including assault on a police officer, assault, criminal possession of a weapon, menacing, resisting arrest, and obstructing governmental administration after trying to control the thousands of people gathered outside a Bryant Park Knicks watch party.
In a separate assault, dozens of enraged Knicks fans surrounded a Spurs fan on the streets and tore apart his Victor Wembanyama jersey.
Five NYPD officers were injured in the fracas, with some ruffians chucking glass objects at each other and police officers, and ripping bus signs and trees out of the ground to throw them.
Rowdy fans also climbed scaffolding, light poles, police cars, and NYPD trucks, causing “significant damage,” police said.
An investigation into the incident remains ongoing.