CHARLESTON, W.Va. — There will be additional police officers in and around Laidley Field in Charleston for the two-day state Track and Field Championships Friday afternoon and Saturday.
The move is being made after a man fired shots on Piedmont Road behind the stadium during a large track meet May 2. The athletes and fans were evacuated from the stadium shortly after the gunfire.
Charleston Police Deputy Chief Tony Hazelett has worked on a plan with Kanawha County Schools, which owns Laidley Field, stadium personnel and the West Virginia SSAC.
“We’re actually upping more manpower with the crowd size,” Hazelett told MetroNews. “We’ll have patrols inside, outside the perimeter, around the gate and on Piedmont Road.”
Police have said the gunfire on May 2 was not directed at the stadium. Jakai Harrison, 20, was charged with four counts of wanton endangerment. He told police someone was chasing the car he was riding in. There were no injuries reported.
Hazelett said the plan for additional patrols was put into action at last week’s regional track meets.
“We decided to put a cruiser on Piedmont as a visual, where the incident happened,” Hazelett said. “We also parked cruisers at the front gate and then we have patrolling on the north side of the stadium where the shots came from.”
Hazelett said there will also be police patrols in Charleston’s East End where distance runners often warm up before their events begin.
“We are also patrolling that route for security reasons for them,” Hazelett said.
Hazelett said he wants to remind those attending the state Track and Field Championships that Laidley Field is owned by Kanawha County Schools and firearms are prohibited on the property.
“That restricts carrying concealed on school grounds,” Hazelett said.