Spectator stabbed in the stands at youth baseball game

Matt Ramian, a youth baseball coach in Lowell, Indiana, witnessed a brutal attack in the stands. A 14-year-old spectator was brutally attacked by a man with a knife in the middle of the game.

“I'm on third base. I looked and out of the corner of my eye I saw this guy come out from behind my dugout. He just jumped on the girl and started pushing her under the bleachers. Then he pulled out a knife at least 16 to 20 inches long,” Ramian said.[he] I just started swinging it and caught it a few times.”

According to Fox News reports, the victim has been released from the hospital and is doing well. After the stabbing, a group of spectators chased the attacker away from the stadium. He was later arrested by police and identified as Dimas Gabriel Yanez.

According to WishTV, Yanes told police that “he had no intention of doing this and that someone followed him and told him to do it.”

At a time when fans, coaches and officials are wary of aggressive outbursts and violence related to the field, the attack surprisingly appears to have nothing to do with the game itself. It raises important safety questions that no one in youth sports wants to think about: How did this man get onto the field? Should there be security at these small-town sporting events? And how can coaches and officials be prepared for such situations?

A 2022 Safe Sport Zone webinar discussed the importance of having simple contingency plans for these scenarios. Jay Hammes, the president of Safe Sport Zone, teaches a practice called “active supervision” and says it's up to everyone working in the stadium to supervise the crowd, facility and stands. He cited the entry gate as the highest priority for supervision.

“Prevention, prevention, prevention is the motto today,” said Hammes. “But you can't guarantee 100 percent security. If someone really wants to do something, they will do it.”

Hamme's words now ring true for families in Lowell, Indiana, who are concerned about the safety of their youth sports facilities. Coach Ramian said, “The baseball community in Lowell will be holding a fundraiser to help pay for medical bills and possible therapy for the teenager.”