Before 17-year-old Steve Consalvi ran onto the field at Citizen's Bank Park on Monday, where he was Tasered by a police officer, the teenager reportedly called his father for permission to do so.
"He said, 'Dad, can I run on the field? I said, 'I don't think you should, son,'" Wayne Consalvi told the Philadelphia Daily News of the conversation he had with his son.
"This would be a once in a lifetime experience!" Steve Consalvi replied to his father, according to the newspaper.
Wayne Consalvi told the newspaper that his son was not drinking and he wasn't on drugs. Steve Consalvi is "a real good student, heading to Penn State," his father told the Philadelphia Daily News.
The father also told the newspaper that his son didn't run onto the field as a result of a dare or bet, either.
"I don't recommend running on the field, but I don't think they should have Tased him at all," he told the newspaper.
The
Phillies and Philadelphia police are investigating whether a police officer's use of a Taser to apprehend Steve Consalvi was an appropriate use of force.
Lt. Frank Vanore, a police spokesman, says Commissioner Charles Ramsey reviewed the tape and felt the officer had acted within the department's guidelines, which allow officers to use Tasers to arrest fleeing suspects. Vanore says internal affairs is still investigating.
Ramsey told KYW Radio in Philadelphia that he supported the officer's decision to use a Taser.
"It was inappropriate for him to be out there on the field," Ramsey said. "Unless I read something to the contrary, that officer acted appropriately. I support him 100 percent."
Consalvi, wearing a baseball cap, red T-shirt and khaki shorts, hopped a fence and scurried around the outfield, eluding two security officers in the bottom of the eighth inning against the
St. Louis Cardinals. One officer used a Taser and the fan went down in a heap. Several Phillies placed gloves over their faces and appeared to be stifling laughter at the wild scene.
Phillies spokeswomen Bonnie Clark said the police department is investigating the matter and discussing with the team whether using the stun gun was appropriate.
The team said it's the first time a Taser has been used by police to apprehend a spectator who ran onto the field.