Official: Officers did not overreact in father-son beer handoff

PHOENIX — Officers who removed a father and his 15-year-old son from an Arizona Cardinals game after the man had his son hold his beer did not overreact, an official said Wednesday.

Communications Director for the Arizona Dept. of Liquor License and Control Lee Hill said that, when officers saw John Coulter hand his son his beer so he could take a picture, the officers had the choice to arrest him if they believed he was giving an underage person alcohol.

“When the officers determine that the intent is to give an underage person liquor, to provide them with liquor, an arrest will be made,” she said. “In this case, an arrest was not made.”

Lee also said she was unaware of a “crack down” on underage drinking at Cardinals games, but that a primary focus of her agency is to address those under 21 who are given alcohol.

“Underage drinking has always been a primary focus of our agency just because it’s so dangerous,” she said.

Lee said that there are more facts to the case, but she did not know them all as the officers were still filing their reports. Her agency plans to release those reports following an internal review.