Opening Day at Dodger Stadium took a bizarre — but romantic — turn Thursday night, March 30.
A fan sprinted onto the outfield grass during a break in the game to propose to his girlfriend — then endured a jaw-rattling tackle by a security guard.
Clad in a Mookie Betts jersey and a Dodgers cap that was about to fly off his head, Ricardo Juarez dropped to one knee and held a box with a ring towards his girlfriend, Stephani Ramona Gutierrez, who stood in the stands, videos posted to social media show.
Juarez held the ring high in the air when a security guard tackled him, sending him to the ground with a thud.
Two other security guards held Juarez’s hands behind his back as he laid face down, videos show. After being handcuffed, Juarez was walked off the field and into police custody.
Proposal gone wrong at Dodger Stadium 💀 pic.twitter.com/qankLwE5sW
— maze (@Mazeaveli) March 31, 2023
All the while, the crowd went crazy, cheering him on.
A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday, March 31, declined to comment.
According to Debra Craig, an administrator for Moreno Valley Matters, a Facebook group for city residents, Juarez is head chef at a Moreno Valley restaurant, Oishii Sushi & Teriyaki.
Gutierrez listed Moreno Valley as her place of residency on her Facebook page. She and Juarez could not be reached Friday.
Later Thursday, Juarez took to Instagram to share videos from the stands and a photo announcing the couple’s successful engagement.
On Instagram, Gutierrez posted video of Juarez being escorted off the field.
She also shared a photo with her fiance from later that night that showed Gutierrez displaying the engagement ring. She noted that the proposal was a “tad bit extreme,” but “of course I said YES!”
Juarez posted photos and video with a simple caption: “She said YES.”
City News Service contributed to this report.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct an error. Ricardo Juarez’ fiancé’s name is Stephani Ramona Gutierrez.
