Bloody Brawl Caught On Camera At 49ers-Cardinals Game In Arizona
GLENDALE, AZ. (CBS SF) - A violent brawl in the upper deck of the University of Phoenix stadium spilled down a staircase and left several fans bloodied during the San Francisco 49ers game at Arizona Sunday.
The melee appears to have broken out at the start of half time near the 50 yard line seats in the upper deck. Cardinal and 49er fans can be seen jawing at each other across an aisle. The initial shoving sent fans down the stairs and onto a walkway below. At that point, fans in Cardinals gear who had not been previously involved began taking swings at the pile, which included both men and women. At times it's hard to distinguish 49ers fans from Cardinals supporters because both team sport red and white uniforms.
Security officers, who were initially outnumbered and hit repeatedly themselves, were eventually able to separate the 49ers fans from the rest of the crowd.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The video is graphic and may be disturbing. Also, the video title indicates a date of October 2013, however, our editors have verified that it shows the correct fight that occurred Sunday, 9/21/2014 in Arizona. The uploader incorrectly dated the video.
Glendale police say there were six arrests and 39 ejections inside the stadium Sunday. Based on the video, Sgt. Jay C. O'Neill said the recorded brawl was one of two that broke out in that area of the stadium, this one likely taking place around 2:35 p.m.
"In that incident we were called to assist with a fight that security was out with. The end result was that we took two separate reports, arrested two people for assault (one from each incident), and ejected several people from University of Phoenix Stadium property," said O'Neill.
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On the CBS San Francisco Facebook page, commenter Dionesia Orellana said she was at the game, and blamed security for things getting out of hand.
"Arizona Cardinals Stadium should be ashamed of they way they handled the fighting. There was ZERO police presence," said Orellana. "The security company they used S.A.F.E. is incompetent and to top it off they let the people that were fighting back into the seats but put them in the next section over (i.e. our section)."
Cardinal's defensive end Darnell Dockett sent out this tweet after spotting a fan that he says was actually trying to help security:
In previous seasons, San Francisco police have gone undercover in opposing fan gear during 49er home games to keep an eye on unruly fans. Glendale police would not provide specifics on how they deploy their officers.
In 2011, violence at the 49ers-Raiders tune-up game forced the end of that preseason pairing.
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