Man who racially targeted Flyers' Simmonds arrested
Daily News Flyers blog
Man who racially targeted Flyers' Simmonds arrested
The man who racially targeted Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds in a preseason game in London, Ontario, last week has been arrested.
At a press conference on Wednesday, London police chief Brad Duncan announced that Christopher Moorhouse, 26, of London, has been arrested and charged under the trespass to property act, a provincial statute.
Moorhouse was allegedly the one who threw the banana at Simmonds, one of the few black players in the NHL, during a shootout attempt at the John Labatt Centre on Sept. 22.
"Mr.Moorhouse has been served with a part three summons, and if convicted of this offence - could be liable to a fine of not more than $2,000," Duncan said. "This is a provincial offense and not a criminal charge, and will be dealt with in the provincial offenses court.
"This incident affected, not only our local community, it was across the national and international plane - and obviously individuals have very strong feelings about what occurred and I just wanted to indicate this individual has expressed remorse, notwithstanding the actions that he undertook, but we don't want individuals to go beyond what the court will do in terms of the penalty."
Duncan expressed concerns about possible retribution for Moorhouse by "vigilantism." Fans of the game had offered more than $2,000 in a reward for Moorhouse's arrest using social media.
Comcast-Spectacor Peter Luukko, president of the Flyers and the Global Spectrum company that manages the John Labatt Centre, was grateful for the support of the local community in London that came forward with information about Moorhouse.
"We would like to express our gratitude to the City of London, the police department and the many fans who came forward with information leading to this arrest," Luukko said in a statement. "We fully support the efforts to prosecute this individual. We have zero tolerance when it comes to this type of foolish behaviour. We will not tolerate it at the John Labatt Centre nor any of the other facilities we manage. The Philadelphia Flyers look forward to our annual preseason game next fall and playing again in our home away from home, the John Labatt Centre."
Chief Duncan also indicated that Moorhouse will not be charged with a hate crime.
"We took a very, very careful look at the circumstances and in this particular case it did not meet the threshold of a hate crime," Duncan said. "You have to demonstrate the incident was motivated by hatred - but the circumstances, and the statements that we've received, would not meet that threshold of a hate crime." he continued, also explaining the evidence did not meet the threshold of a mischief charge."
London authorities begun searching for a suspect immediately after the banana was thrown. Simmonds, 23, in his first season with the Flyers, has yet to comment.
For the latest updates, follow Frank Seravalli on Twitter: @DNFlyers
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Good for the London, Ontario police. And kudos to the witnesses who turned him in. That gutless wonder manged to briefly unfairly tarnish the reputation of a fine city. I've been to Ontario on numerous occasion and found the citizens there to be gracious and friendly people. Even wearing a Flyers jersey at a Leafs' game. Nice to see justice prevail, eh?- Hockey Al will say that Moorhouse is a great guy because he "smokes sausage."
— Hat Trick - The London Cops are the First Team and they were never gonna fall for a banana in the tailpipe. Good to see they nailed that gd canadian troglodyte bigot.— T. Paine
- The London Cops are the First Team and they were never gonna fall for a banana in the tailpipe. Good to see they nailed that gd canadian troglodyte bigot.— T. Paine
- The London Cops are the First Team and they were never gonna fall for a banana in the tailpipe. Good to see they nailed that gd canadian troglodyte bigot.— T. Paine
- This comment has been deleted.— malfeasance
- Ok, so I understand the racial part, but how can they charge someone when it is an accepted practice in hockey to throw items on the ice (ie, hats, squids, etc.)? With that said, I hope this guy gets a nice little fine and some community service related to tutoring minorities or something along those lines.— Clt Philly Fan
- Prior to every hockey game they make an announcement that throwing anything on the ice will subject you to removal from the venue and possible arrest.
In the case of hats and squid, they make an exception because the intent there is not to injure a player or disrupt the game, and both of those acts have become traditions cherished by the league and fans.
Do you really think that someone carrying a 32lb squid to a Red Wings game would get it through security otherwise? What, the fan is going to eat it between the first and second periods to avoid paying the predatory concession prices?
No, sorry, I agree with Dicky Dunn (see below): this act was premeditated by a single hateful individual. - I thought it was gonna be Sean Avery.— P Even
- The National Post has the Constable quoted as saying it was "a lapse in judgement."
I've been going to hockey games for 25 years all around the world. Never have I seen anyone eat a banana at a game. This was something that was premeditaed.
The Flyers are far from being my favorite team, but this is unacceptable in our game. If this was done at an NBA game, all hell would be breaking loose.— Dicky Dunn 
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Whats his middle name? I though all banana assassins use their middle names...- If there is ANY justice in the world, they should take this guy and lock him in a room with Simmons and let Wayne decide what to do to him.— Justicek
