PITTSBURGH -- PITTSBURGH -- A federal agent attending a Pittsburgh Penguins game as a fan was accused of attacking another fan during the game at Mellon Arena.
Brian Novak, a Westmoreland County chiropractor, alleges that Daniel Snyder, of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, choked him during a Stanley Cup Playoff game against the Carolina Hurricanes on May 21.
Snyder was in Municipal Court downtown for a hearing on Wednesday, as his charges of harassment and disorderly conduct were knocked down to summary citations.
According to a police report, Novak and his wife, Kristen, were watching the game when Kristen tried to get her husband to stand up so Snyder could get by.
When Brian Novak said "What?" to his wife, Snyder thought he was confronting him and the two men exchanged words, the report indicated. Snyder then allegedly told Brian Novak, "I will kill you" using an expletive.
"He was trying to get out of his aisle, he had a confrontation with another individual, and that would be the gist of what happened," said Snyder's lawyer, Eric Lurie. "No punches were thrown."
Police saw red marks on Brian Novak's neck, and Novak told police that Snyder grabbed him by his throat and began choking him. According to the police report, Kristen Novak pulled on Snyder's ear, stopping the attack.
When a uniformed Pittsburgh police officer asked to talk to Snyder, tapping him on the arm, Snyder said, 'Get your hands off me and don't touch me,'" according to the police report.
The officer handcuffed Snyder and escorted him to the arena's security area. Police claimed Snyder was upset that the officer would arrest another member of law enforcement and embarrass him by handcuffing him at the game.
"Well, everyone is human. This was a sporting event. People get excited at the game, and maybe it went a step further than it should have," said Lurie.
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