The man arrested for running onto Wrigley Field toward relief pitcher Bob Howry during the ninth inning of Monday’s Cubs-Colorado game has been identified by police as Brent Kowalkoski, 24, of Elmwood Park.
Howry had just surrendered a three-run home run to Troy Tulowitzki, giving the Rockies a 9-8 lead, when Kowalkoski vaulted the short wall that separates the seats from the playing field and approached Howry from the first-base line.
Wrigley Field security guard Anton Migursky tackled Kowalkoski before he could get to the pitcher, and additional security removed him from the field. Kowalkoski was arrested and charged with illegal conduct within sports facilities, a misdemeanor. He spent the night in the Belmont District lockup and was released Tuesday morning, Capt. Dolores Deloughery said.
Kowalkoski could not be reached for comment. He is scheduled to appear in court July 26.
The misdemeanor charge is a new state law for which the White Sox lobbied extensively after two incidents involving trespassing fans at U.S. Cellular Field.
“I’m glad to see it on the books. We’re going to be seeing how hard the judge will hit him,” Cubs security chief Mike Hill said. “It’s still a misdemeanor, but this is a much more stringent penalty.”
The Cubs scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth to win 10-9, but Migursky’s tackle of Kowalkoski was as much a part of the postgame conversation as their rally.
“Fantastic,” Hill said.
“It was a lot better than the last guy who went out and just ran around a little bit,” Howry said. “This guy got crushed.”
The incident recalled the time Randy Myers was attacked on the mound by a fan in 1995 at Wrigley Field after Myers gave up a home run. Myers took that fan to the ground himself.
The U.S. Cellular Field incidents that triggered the push for new legislation included the infamous September 2002 attack by William Ligue Jr., 34, of Alsip and his 15-year-old son on Kansas City Royals first-base coach Tom Gamboa.
Gamboa suffered permanent hearing loss after the attack, for which Ligue was convicted and given probation.
The other U.S. Cellular incident happened in April 2003 when Eric Dybas, 24, of Bolingbrook rushed the field and tried to tackle umpire Laz Diaz.
Dybas was convicted and sentenced to six months in Cook County Jail and probation.
