Game Plan for a Dry Run : Coliseum Panel May Ban Alcohol Temporarily in Wake of Violence Among Raiders Fans

Amid growing clamor about fan violence at Raiders football games, the Los Angeles Coliseum Commission agreed Wednesday to review its policy on beer sales and to consider a temporary, one-game ban on all alcohol sales.

Spectacor, the private firm that runs the Coliseum, also announced at the commission meeting that the Coliseum’s concessionaire would no longer sell beer in 20-ounce containers, opting instead for 16- and 14-ounce cups.

Coliseum officials said they had not yet determined whether the 16-ounce cups would be priced the same as the 20-ounce cups--$4.25.

The action came 10 days after a Pittsburgh Steelers fan was slugged during a Los Angeles Raiders game, allegedly by a Raiders fan who took exception to his zealous cheering for the visiting team. The incident led to stepped-up security measures at the Coliseum, as well as calls from Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky and others for the end to alcohol sales during games.

One member of the commission, Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich, added his voice Wednesday to the calls for an alcohol ban. Antonovich said the beer ban would help limit violence at the stadium by creating a “family atmosphere” at the Raiders games.

After hearing more than an hour of testimony, mostly from those opposed to a beer ban, the commission delayed an immediate decision and voted instead to form a three-member committee to review its existing alcohol policy. The current policy allows beer to be sold through the third quarter of football games.

The new committee--consisting of commission members Antonovich, Los Angeles City Councilman Robert Farrell and Deputy Chief Jesse Brewer of the Los Angeles Police Department--was authorized to temporarily modify the alcohol sale policy for the Oct. 14 Raiders game against the Seattle Seahawks.

The committee will then report the results of the modified policy to the commission Nov. 7. The commission also agreed to work with Techniques for Effective Alcohol Management, a nonprofit group, to establish a campaign to limit alcohol-related traffic accidents after Raiders football games.

Cynthia Emmets, Los Angeles director for the group, said the campaign could include signs within the Coliseum and advertisements with Raiders players encouraging responsible drinking.

The victim of the Sept. 23 attack, Paul Albrecht, 35, of Tucson, Ariz., was discharged earlier this week after spending more than a week in the hospital, officials at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center said Wednesday.

Albrecht had once been in critical condition, “unconscious and unresponsive,” hospital spokeswoman Adelaida de la Cerda said. He left the hospital Monday with his broken jaw wired shut, and was escorted home by his brother, she said.

The suspect in the attack, Shane Geringer, 19, of Agoura, was booked for investigation of assault with a deadly weapon, and is scheduled to be arraigned Oct. 15.

Times staff writer Patt Morrison contributed to this story.