Scuffle During Music Center Performance : Policeman’s Fingertip Bitten Off at Concert

In an incident described by investigators as “confusing,” a top Los Angeles police officer had his fingertip bitten off in a scuffle with a man who was apparently blocking his view of a rock concert at the Music Center, authorities said Wednesday.

Police were still searching for the man who bit Cmdr. Frank Piersol, 43, head of the LAPD’s South Bureau, in a fight in the first row of the balcony of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion Monday night during a performance of Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine.

Investigators were also not sure what sparked the incident.

“It’s a little confusing,” said Lt. Gus Drulias, who is heading the investigation. “It could have been incredibly accidental or a very vicious thing to do. We’re still trying to find witnesses.”

Police spokesmen Cmdr. William Booth added, “It appears a crime has been committed and a finger amputated.”

Woman Began Dancing

Several witnesses said the fight started about 9:30 p.m. during the rock performance, which was part of a Los Angeles convention staged by the Men’s Apparel Guild of California, a clothing trade association.

One woman in a group of four people, seated in front of Piersol and a woman companion, stood up at her seat and began dancing when the salsa-rock group began playing.

Piersol tapped the woman on the shoulder and asked her to sit down. The woman complied, said the witnesses, who asked that their names also not be used.

Several minutes later, the group stood up and began dancing. Piersol and his companion moved to different seats in the second row, behind the four.

Witnesses then said the group began taunting Piersol, prompting an exchange of obscene hand gestures. The exchange became more heated, and Piersol lunged at one of the men in the group, witnesses said.

In the ensuing struggle, Lt. Drulias said, a portion of Piersol’s left-index finger, “down to the first knuckle,” was bitten off.

The struggle suddenly stopped when Piersol realized what had occurred, witnesses said. The biter then fled the Pavilion, but only after he was reportedly slugged several times by Piersol’s companion, whom officers did not identify.

The dispute apparently went unnoticed by most of the capacity crowd at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Several witnesses noted that Estefan, the group’s lead singer, had told the audience to “stand up and dance” if they wanted to.

Witnesses said it appeared that Piersol was to blame for starting the incident.

“It was the police officer,” said one Ventura-area clothier who declined to have his name published. “He (the alleged biter) nearly went over the railing. I would have gone to get an usher instead of trying to take the law into my own hands.”

Booth would not directly comment on the witnesses’ assertions, saying only that they should come forward and speak with investigators.

Piersol and several Music Center employees chased the man, but he got into a car and sped away. The vehicle’s license plate number was taken down but detectives have determined that the car’s owner was not involved in the incident, Drulias said.

The fingertip was later recovered but doctors at Orthopaedic Hospital in Los Angeles were unable to reattach it. Piersol, a 22-year veteran of the Police Department who was released from the hospital early Wednesday, could not be reached for comment.

Booth said Piersol, who oversees the operation of four police stations, Southwest, Southeast, 77th Street and Harbor, will be unable to perform his duties for an unspecified period of time.