Photo of Pittsburgh Pirates worker fight
Screengrab

A Pittsburgh Pirates gameday employee was “immediately” suspended after he took off his belt and whipped a Pirates fan for spitting on him.

The incident happened on Sunday as the Pirates faced the San Diego Padres baseball team at PNC Park.

The video shows the two men squaring up and yelling at each other. Then the employee punched the man several times. Bystanders intervened and separated them. Then the fan spit on the employee.

Local outlets reported the fan harassed a woman working at the concession stand. The employee intervened and steered the fan away from the woman. An argument ensued and the employee punched the man who then spit on the worker.

The Pirates issued a statement to PEOPLE on Tuesday, May 6, confirming that the employee was “immediately suspended”.

“Following the conclusion of yesterday’s game, as the final few fans were exiting the ballpark, there was a verbal altercation between two male guests and a female food and beverage employee,” the Pirates said in the statement. “At that time, the ballpark gameday employee seen in the video attempted to intervene on her behalf.”

“This incident is under further investigation,” the statement concluded.

In a separate incident last week, a drunken Pirates fan fell from the stands and suffered a serious head injury.

Kavan Markwood, 20, fell over the railing during the seventh inning of the Pirates-Chicago Cubs game on Wednesday, April 30.

On a GoFundMe page on May 3, Kavan’s mother said he is recovering in the hospital.

“As of this morning, Kavan is awake, alert, and able to speak. After everything he’s been through since the accident on Wednesday night, this progress feels nothing short of miraculous.”