Police in London, Ont., announced Wednesday they have charged a man in connection with last week's banana-throwing incident which took place during a preseason game between the Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers at the John Labatt Centre.
Christopher Moorhouse, 26, was identified as the person who tossed a banana on the ice while Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds, who is black, was taking his turn in the shootout.
London Police Chief Brad Duncan said Moorhouse has been charged with engaging in a prohibited activity under the Trespass Act. If convicted, he could be fined $2,000 (Canadian).
Duncan said the police reviewed the incident and determined it did not meet the threshold for charging Moorhouse with a hate crime. Mischief charges also did not apply.
Duncan said police received numerous tips, including several through social media. It was within the past 12 hours, he said, that they were able to identify the suspect.
Duncan said Moorhouse expressed remorse for his actions.
"We fully support the efforts to prosecute this individual, said Flyers President Peter Luukko. "We have zero tolerance when it comes to this type of foolish behavior. We will not tolerate it at the John Labatt Centre nor any of the other facilities we manage."
The John Labatt Centre is operated by Global Spectrum, a subsidiary of Comcast-Spectacor, the entity that also owns the Flyers.
