A Milwaukee TV reporter is facing possible felony charges after police say he punched another reporter during a personal argument at the Brewers game on Friday.
Adair "A.J." Bayatpour, 32, of WITI-TV (Channel 6) was arrested on charges of substantial battery. The matter is set for review by prosecutors who will consider whether to file formal charges. Bayatpour was booked and released on bail from the Milwaukee County Jail.
The incident was first reported by FTVLive, a website that follows the TV news industry. It cited a Milwaukee police report that said Bayatpour had been critical of his colleague Madeline Anderson, and her boyfriend, Ben Jordan, a reporter for WTMJ-TV (Channel 4), stepped up to defend her. During the ensuing argument, Bayatpour struck Jordan and caused "a significant injury," the report said.
Bayatpour referred a reporter to his attorney, Julius Kim, who called it an unfortunate incident between friends. Kim said he's had discussions with prosecutors who are reviewing the matter.
Jessica Bellucci, a spokeswoman for Tribune Broadcasting, said, “We are aware a WITI employee was involved in an altercation and we are investigating the incident.”
Jordan declined to discuss the incident. Neither reporter has tweeted on their otherwise active Twitter accounts since Friday.
Tyler Barnes, senior vice president of communications with the Brewers, said the team doesn't comment on security matters.
Another fight at the game was caught on cellphone video, but it is not the one involving the TV reporters. In all, there were 11 ejections and five citations issued at Friday's game, according to the police report cited by FTVLive, "a typical Chicago Cubs busy night," according to police.
