SACRAMENTO, Aug. 29 (UPI) -- A California lawmaker has introduced a bill he says can help deter violent fan behavior at sports events by offering rewards to those who identify suspects.
The measure by state Assemblyman Mike Gatto would require mandatory $50,000 annual donations from California-based sports franchises into a fund to pay rewards for information leading to suspects in such incidents, ABC News reported Sunday.
The measure would also institute harsher sentences for people convicted of fighting or attacking others at sporting events.
"I know a lot of parents who are afraid to take their kids to a ballgame," Gatto said in a statement. "That's not the California that I know."
Gatto's proposed bill comes after two incidents of fan violence at California sporting venues.
In March, a San Francisco Giants fan was severely beaten at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles and it still in a coma, while two shootings and a beating occurred at the San Francisco 49ers-Oakland Raiders pre-season football game at Candlestick Park Aug. 21.
"There are many things worth fighting for," Gatto said. "The fact that someone wore a rival sports franchise's jersey to a game isn't one of them."
