A mischief charge has been laid against a man alleged to have tossed a beer can at a Baltimore outfielder during a dramatic Blue Jays playoff game earlier this week, Toronto police said.
Ken Pagan, 41, of Hamilton, was charged Thursday evening and is scheduled to appear in court in Toronto on Nov. 24.
The incident took place on Tuesday, when a can hurled from the stands narrowly missed Baltimore Orioles player Hyun Soo Kim as he made a catch during the seventh inning of the game at the Rogers Centre.
In the confusion that ensued, Orioles player Adam Jones said he and Kim were taunted with racial slurs.
After announcing they were investigating the tallboy toss by an ``unsportsmanlike fan,'' police released a photograph on Wednesday evening of a man they alleged was the one who threw the can.
They did not name the man, but encouraged him to turn himself in.
Pagan, in an email to The Canadian Press on Wednesday night, identified himself as the man in the police photo.
A spokeswoman with Postmedia, who confirmed Pagan was an employee with the company, said the organization was conducting an internal investigation but had "reached no conclusions.''
In a report published by the Toronto Sun, which is owned by Postmedia, Pagan suggested police may be wrong.
Pagan told the Toronto Sun he was ``drinking out of a cup'' during the game. He also said photos posted on Twitter that show him after the can was tossed clearly indicate he had a cup in his hand.
Police said they believed they'd identified the correct person.
"We are confident we have made a positive ID,'' Const. Jenifferjit Sidhu said Thursday.
The Blue Jays apologized to the Orioles for the incident and Major League Baseball vowed to tighten security and alcohol policies at its games.