Carson Briere, a member of the Mercyhurst College hockey team and the son of Philadelphia Flyers interim general manager Danny Briere, is facing three misdemeanor charges after he pushed a woman’s wheelchair down a flight of stairs at a bar in Erie, Pa., earlier this month.
According to court documents filed in Erie on Monday, local police charged Briere and Mercyhurst lacrosse team member Patrick Carozzi with criminal mischief, criminal conspiracy to commit mischief, and disorderly conduct. Briere, 23, and Carrozi, 21, are slated to appear in court on May 22.
The two Mercyhurst athletes, who have since been suspended by the school pending an investigation were spotted on one of the bar’s surveillance cameras sending the wheelchair careening down a flight of stairs in the late hours of March 11.
A GoFundMe campaign launched last week to benefit the wheelchair’s owner (22-year-old double amputee Sydney Benes) has raised $8,811 USD as of Monday evening. Benes said she bought the chair a year ago for $2,000 and pledged on Twitter to donate any extra money not needed for repairs “to the disabled community and to people who really need the help.”
In a complaint filed with local authorities, Benes said the fall down the stairs caused the chair’s wheels to drag when moving forward and resulted in damage to multiple other components, including the left brake handle and right arm rest.
Carson and Danny Briere both released statements through the Flyers shortly after details of the incident were made public last week.
“I was shocked to see Carson’s actions in the video that was shared on social media,” Danny Briere said in his statement. “They are inexcusable and run completely counter to our family’s values on treating people with respect. Carson is very sorry and accepts full responsibility for his behavior.”
“I am deeply sorry for my behavior,” Carson Briere added. “There is no excuse for my actions, and I will do whatever I can to make up for this serious lack of judgement.”
Briere has spent the last three seasons with the Mercyhurst College men’s hockey team. He was previously set to play for the Arizona State Sun Devils before being dismissed from their hockey program in 2019 for what the school described as a “violation of team rules.”
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