Stray Bullet Hits Rays Fan in Thigh While Watching Marlins-Rays Game at Tropicana Field

by Sean Peick on Wed, Jun 27, 2012 at 1:53PM

Most of the time, when a fan is struck by something at a baseball game, it’s something related to the game itself. Whether a foul ball, a rogue bat or a drink, fans generally can expect to not be surprised by whatever hits them.

That’s not the case for an unlucky Rays fan at Tropicana Field a few weeks ago, who was nailed by no less than a stray bullet that fell through the roof, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

Charles Sweatt, a 54-year-old police chief from Parker, Fla., felt something sting his right thigh and thought it was a foul ball. Upon looking around for the culprit, however, a fellow fan found not a ball but a bullet.

Sweatt escaped with only a bruise from the incident, which police suspect was likely caused by someone firing celebratory gunfire into the air in the vicinity of the stadium.

Photo via Flickr/madmiked