GoPro Karma Drone Reportedly Involved In The Incident

A drone being flown near San Diego's Petco Park during a game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the San Diego Padres May 21 suddenly flew out of control and went down in the seats in the upper deck of the stadium.

While no fans were hit by the drone, USA Today reports that Major League Baseball is "monitoring" the situation.

The league issued a statement saying its security department "has been in touch with the Padres and local authorities since (the) incident."

The operator of the drone, a GoPro Karma according to Digital Trends online, has not been identified. He was, however, tracked down outside the stadium by the San Diego Police Department. The San Diego Tribune reports that he was not arrested or cited. Officer Billy Hernandez told the paper that the operator was working on a blog, and was capturing images of the park with the aircraft. "He was flying over Petco Park and lost control of it," Hernandez said.

In a statement, San Diego Padres COO Erik Greupner said that the incident "highlights the dangers posed by unauthorized drone use in proximity to large public venues at Petco Park. The Padres vocally supported the City of San Diego’s recently enacted ordinance that enables (the San Diego Police Department) to enforce the FAA’s restrictions on operation of drones near large public venues.”

It is not clear whether the operator will face any local or federal charges for the incident.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.faa.gov