UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Photos that have gone viral online show the exact moment a Michigan Wolverines fan got pepper sprayed by police during the Penn State game.
The confrontation happened Saturday, when there were plenty of sideline photographers on hand to capture the painful ejection from Beaver Stadium.
According to several witness accounts, the fan was being disruptive, taunting other fans.
In a statement, Penn State Police Chief Tyrone Parham "Alcohol was most definitely a factor in that situation."
--AP photo/Gene Puskar
Parham said fans had asked an usher for help when the man got offensive and that he had allegedly hit the usher when she tried to eject him from the stadium.
"Four officers responded -- two from State College and two from Penn State -- but when they tried to remove him from the stadium he continued spewing expletives, became physical and resisted arrest," Parham said. "At that point it became a safety issue and that's when the decision was made to use the pepper spray and attempt to handcuff him."
The Nittany Lions beat the Wolverines 43-40 in four overtimes.