No details on boy's fatal fall at Staples Center

[November 23, 2010]  LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Police are investigating the death of a toddler who scaled over a glass safety guard in a luxury box at Staples Center and fell to his death.

As 2-year-old Lucas Anthony Tang's parents grieved in private Monday, the police department's juvenile division launched a probe to determine what happened.

The division procedurally investigates sudden deaths when the victim is under age 11, and the probe did not necessarily indicate that a crime was involved, Officer Julie Sohn said.

A phone message left at a Garden Grove residence believed to belong to the Tang family was not immediately returned.

The little boy landed on a row of seats minutes after the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors Sunday night. He suffered head injuries and was rushed to a hospital where he died a few hours later.

Sohn released few details, saying only that the boy's family was taking photographs and "somehow the child went over the edge of the section."

"In 11 years, we've never had an incident like this," said Michael Roth, a spokesman for Staples and owner, AEG.

The 950,000-square-foot stadium opened in 1999 and has 160 luxury suites on three levels.

Each box has tiers of seats with safety glass embedded in concrete walls. The barrier varies in height but at its lowest point is about the height of an adult's waist, Roth said.

Initial estimates put the child's fall at about 50 feet, but Roth later said the toddler fell from the third tier of boxes, or about 30 feet, into a general seating area about 30 rows up from the court.

The building is in compliance with city codes, which require guardrails to be at least 26 inches high in front of seats, Department of Building and Safety spokesman David Lara said. Guardrails in front of stairs must be 42 inches high.

The arena was conducting its own investigation, Roth said. He declined to release details about the boy's family but said the luxury box -- as with most suites -- was probably owned by a corporation.

The Lakers organization issued a statement expressing shock and sadness at the tragedy.

"To go from a moment of happiness and enjoyment, to the loss of this boy's life, is tragic and heartbreaking. We would like to ask Lakers fans to join us in keeping Lucas and his family in our thoughts and prayers," the statement said.

Monday night's game between the Los Angeles Clippers and New Orleans Hornets went on as scheduled.

Hornets rookie coach Monty Williams was subdued when he brought up the tragedy during his pregame speech.

"To have a child die at a (venue) where you're planning on having a good time, it's got to be a tough tough thing to go through," Williams said. "Somebody's family has changed in an instant, and then we go right back in here playing -- almost like business as usual -- while the family is still grieving."

The arena is home to the NBA's Lakers and Clippers, the NHL's Los Angeles Kings and the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks.

[Associated Press; By RAQUEL MARIA DILLON]

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