A man in New York has been accused of throwing a sex toy at a 12-year-old girl during a WNBA game.
The incident occurred earlier this month when Charles Burgess, 32, of Ohio, was attending a basketball game at the Barclays Center between the professional women’s teams, New York Liberty and the Dallas Wings.
He allegedly threw a green sex toy from his seat around 8:45 p.m. on August 5, according to the NYPD. Instead of landing on the court, the object hit a 12-year-old and caused her pain, police said.
Burgess was arrested the following day and charged with assault, according to PIX11.
Throwing sex toys at WNBA games has become a viral trend on social media, and similar incidents have been reported in Atlanta, Phoenix, Chicago, and Los Angeles.
Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham was hit with a sex toy while she was playing a game against the Los Angeles Sparks earlier this month.
“I think its ridiculous, it’s dumb, it’s stupid,” Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said. “It’s also dangerous and players’ safety is number one. Respecting the game. All those things. I think it’s really stupid.”
On August 7 — two days after the Barclays Center incident — a game between the Atlanta Dream and the Chicago Sky was stopped with just seconds left on the clock after someone threw a sex toy onto the court. No one was arrested following that incident in Atlanta.
“It’s super disrespectful,” Chicago Sky player Elizabeth Williams told the BBC shortly after the game. “I don’t really get the point of it. It’s really immature. Whoever is doing it needs to grow up.”
Burgess is the third man arrested for throwing a sex toy onto a WNBA court, and the second to allegedly hit a bystander.
On July 29, Delbert Carver, 23, was arrested in Atlanta for allegedly throwing a sex toy during a WNBA game. He was charged with disorderly conduct, public indecency/exposure, and criminal trespassing.
Also on August 5, Kaden Lopez, 18, allegedly threw a sex toy during a game in Phoenix, hitting a man in the head with the object. Lopez was arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct, assault, and a public display of explicit sexual material.
Lopez told police that he was “very sorry” and that it was just a “stupid prank that was trending on social media,” according to NBC News.
“Green Dildo Coin,” a meme cryptocurrency coin, has reportedly taken credit for starting the trend, according to USA TODAY.
An anonymous individual, claiming to be a spokesperson for the group, said its members began throwing the sex toys as a way to get attention for its meme coin around the time of its launch.
“We didn’t do this because like we dislike women’s sports or, like, some of the narratives that are trending right now are ridiculous,” the individual told the outlet.
The spokesperson said that Lopez and Carver were not members of their group.
Regardless of their intentions, the trend has gone viral on social media, even catching the attention of Donald Trump Jr, who shared a photoshopped image of his father standing on top of the White House and throwing a green sex toy onto a WNBA court.
He included a caption that said “presented without further comment” and a laughing-crying emoji.
The WNBA has made clear anyone caught repeating the trend will be arrested and have charges brought against them.
“The safety and well-being of everyone in our arenas is a top priority for our league,” the WNBA in a statement. “Objects of any kind thrown onto the court or in the seating area can pose a safety risk for players, game officials, and fans.”
