Patrick Mallon, 26, of Brick, N.J., was enjoying a pregame tailgate with other Jets fans, taunting Colts fans in anticipation of the AFC Championship Game. His pro-green goading may have inadvertently struck a nerve with nearby police, who then asked these fans to continue along. According to the New York Post, Mallon was arrested for being disorderly, throwing beers at others in the crowd, and then not following orders to disperse.
Clearly not a fan of the Wesley Walker jersey, one cop grabbed the heckling New York fan, threw him against the patrol car, punched him in the back of the head and then Tasered him.
“I did not throw beer at anybody," Mallon to the Post. "I was angry with the police for trying to go through the crowd like that."
In a report, Sgt. Jeffrey McCleerey of the Speedway, Ind., police, said that Mallon was “causing a disturbance, throwing beer on other people in the crowd.
“[Mallon] repeatedly ignored my orders and continued to yell and curse at me and other people in the lot,” McCleerey said.
Mallon's father, who stood by as his son was roughed up, is a criminal defense lawyer in New Jersey. He denies the police's version of the story, claiming that he was "dumbfounded" and that son did nothing wrong. He admits, however, that his son should have gotten out of the way instead of drawing attention to himself.
Other witnesses agree that the police conduct may have been unwarranted, maybe fueled by game-day bias.
“The kid said something to the cop through the window that he didn’t like, so they decided to make an example of him,” Jets supporter Barry Kreviston, 46, of Chicago, said. “It was total bull—-.”
Patrick Mallon did not make it inside Lucas Oil Stadium to see the Jets’ 30-17 loss to the Colts.
The authorities charged Mallon with disorderly conduct and public intoxication. After eight hours in jail, he was let go with a $150 fine. The case will be dismissed if he stays out of trouble for two years.
And that, in the words of another rowdy Jersey native, is the situation.
