Fan fight breaks out at Levi's Stadium during 49ers' preseason game
Santa Clara police investigating fight in stands at 49ers game
Santa Clara police are investigating a fight that broke out during the 49ers preseason game at Levis Stadium. This is the second violent incident at Levis in the last couple of months. The first once happened during a soccer match where a fan was stabbed last month.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - At Levi's Stadium it was not the action on the field, but rather in the stands, that had people on their feet. Videos posted to X show multiple angles of the fight that pitted 49er fans against each other.
"Both subjects declined any type of prosecution of the other for assault and battery. They were both ejected for violating the code of conduct," says Lt. Mike Crescini of Santa Clara Police Department.
This was the second violent incident at Levi's in as many months. In July, during a soccer match, a fan was stabbed during a brawl. Authorities are still trying to determine how a weapon made it through security.
Dr. Shaun Fletcher, an expert on sports communication with San Jose State University, worries about the impact these fights will have on families.
"It starts to make parents think twice about bringing their children out to these stadiums. And my hope is that the NFL and these other leagues take note of that and start putting some tighter measures in place," he says.
For example, he says limits on alcohol, or bans from future events.
However, some of the most effective changes may come from the fans themselves.
Santa Clara police say while there is already a layered security approach in place, they need fans to alert them to trouble before it escalates, for example the punches thrown in this video posted to "Football Fights."
"I believe the best thing you can do as a fan and as an attendee is to be an advocate for yourself for behavior that you maybe see violating that code of conduct at Levi and reporting that," says Lt. Crescini.
A statement from Levi's Stadium says in part, "Guest safety is our highest priority."
Fans say they certainly hope so.
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"It kinda makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up and makes you think about what's going on and be a little bit more alert with your surroundings," says Jesse Mendez, a diehard fan with the group 408 Faithful.
"Because most of the time you just go out to have a good time. And you always have to have that element in the back of your mind that something could happen."