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Authorities in Philadelphia have cleared the Philadelphia Flyers mascot, known as Gritty, of assault charges after the mascot was accused of punching a 13-year-old boy in the back at a season ticket holder event.
The Philadelphia Police Department said Monday that detectives have completed their investigation into the Nov. 19 incident.
"That investigation, which has been completed and is no longer active, determined that the actions of the individual portraying the Flyers' mascot did not constitute physical assault as alleged," police said in a statement.
PHILADELPHIA FLYERS MASCOT GRITTY ACCUSED OF PUNCHING TEEN AT SEASON TICKET HOLDERS' EVENT
The investigation was launched on Dec. 21, when Chris Greenwell claimed Gritty punched his 13-year-old son during a holiday photoshoot for season ticket holders. The Flyers were hosting the event and gave fans a chance to meet the eccentric mascot that has become increasingly popular since his introduction in 2018.
The Philadelphia Flyers' Mascot known as Gritty was cleared by charges by Philadelphia Police on Monday. (AP Photo/Tom Mihalek, File)
Greenwell alleged that after his son patted the mascot on the head, Gritty got up from his chair, ran at his son and “punched my son as hard as he could.”
"Gritty gets up out of his chair, makes a lunging motion, and punches my son in the lower right side of his back," Greenwell told FOX29 at the time.
Greenwell told the Philadelphia Inquirer his son was diagnosed with a back bruise.
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Greenwell said officials at Comcast Spectacor – the company that owns the Flyers – told him there was no footage of the incident because “cameras in that area of the center are focused on other locations.”
He brought the complaint to the Philadelphia police a month later, and authorities opened an investigation
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Comcast Spectacor officials reportedly told Greenwell there was no evidence that Gritty struck the boy and offered to have the boy receive autographs from Flyers players and sit on the bench during the team’s warmup before a game.
The Flyers previously said in a statement, “We took Mr. Greenwell’s allegations seriously and conducted a thorough investigation that found nothing to support this claim."
Fox News' Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
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