A San Francisco Giants fan fatally stabbed a Los Angeles Dodgers fan Wednesday night after an exchange of words turned into a fight. The father of the Giants fan accused of murder is convinced his son acted in self-defense, Fox News and the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Michael Montgomery, the man accused of killing Dodgers fan Jonathan Denver, was arrested on suspicion of homicide, based on "incriminating statements" he made to police while in custody.
Police say Denver, along with his father and three others got into a verbal altercation with Montgomery and at least one other. The altercation, which happened a few blocks from the Giants' ballpark and seemingly stemmed from the Giants-Dodgers rivalry, turned into a melee that resulted in the death of Denver.
Montgomery's father, after speaking with his son on the phone, doesn't believe it was homicide.
"It was a self-defense deal," Marty Montgomery said, according to Fox News. "(Michael) got jumped. (Denver and friends) started swinging chairs and he stabbed (Denver). (Denver) mouthed off about the San Francisco hat. It wasn't even (Michael's) hat."
Marty described the altercation in more detail to The Chronicle:
"Someone said 'S.F. sucks,' or whatever, and the kid with the Giants hat said something to the effect that 'No, they're the stuff,' or whatever, and then the altercation really broke out.
"Someone swung a chair - it was the kid that got stabbed - and hit my son in the head. My son defended himself. That's all it was. Everybody's making it look like it was a team rivalry, but really it was two kids walking. ... My son and his friends weren't even in town for the game, they were going to a rave party."
Michael's group of friends consisted of two men and two women, according to The Chronicle. San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr said the altercation began as a spat earlier in a bar, and then escalated outside.
"He is a nice kid. This is really stupid what happened," said Marty. "I don't understand."
