49ers-Raiders game marred by multiple fights at Levi’s Stadium
By Carlos E. Castañeda
The renewal of the former Battle of the Bay between the San Francisco 49ers and the Las Vegas Raiders was marred by multiple fights in the stands, parking lot and surrounding area of Levi’s Stadium on Sunday.
Among the videos of the fights posted on social media was one that showed two people being knocked unconscious during a brawl in the parking lot. The video showed other people continuing to hit and kicked the persons on the ground while they were unconscious amid others cheering, screaming, and intervening in the melee.
“We have a zero-tolerance policy for violence at Levi’s Stadium. The Santa Clara Police Department, our security, and guest services teams responded to several incidents throughout Sunday’s game,” a spokesperson from the 49ers told CBS News Bay Area in a statement. “We are grateful to all personnel for their swift response and dedication to maintaining a safe environment for all fans.”
The Santa Clara Police Department told CBS News Bay Area in a statement that it was aware of several incidents of fan violence during and after the game that were caught on camera and posted to individual social media accounts. The incidents resulted in 11 arrests along with dozens of people ejected from the stadium, police said, and that investigations were underway to find others who engaged in violent acts.
“Incidents of violence at large-scale events in Santa Clara will not be tolerated,” police said. “The Department strictly enforces the law and holds individuals accountable for criminal conduct. We will seek to arrest the individuals responsible for the fan-on-fan violence at the event.”
Some of the fights officers responded to involved victims who did not want to cooperate with investigations, police said.
49ers defense end Keion White told reporters after the game that he and other players did observe fans fighting during the game when he was asked about his thoughts on the rivalry with the Raiders.
“We were seeing people fight in the stands,” White said. “For us, you can never let be bigger that what it is, it’s just the next opponent.”
The incidents were in stark contrast to other multiple other videos circulating online of Raiders and 49ers fans tailgating before the game and the party atmosphere with fans from both teams dancing together to live bands and DJ music setups throughout the parking lot.
The game saw the 49ers (7-1) cruise to a 38-17 victory over the Raiders (4-5), helped by five second-half turnovers by Las Vegas.
In 2012, the annual preseason game between the 49ers and the then-Oakland Raiders was canceled following a notorious 2011 game at Candlestick Park that was also marred by fan violence inside and outside the stadium, including two shootings, multiple fights in the stands, and a fan who was beaten unconscious in a bathroom.
The preseason matchups were renewed in 2021, but by then, the Raiders had moved to Las Vegas and the 49ers were playing in Santa Clara. The Raiders and 49ers face each other in the regular season every four years as part of the NFL’s schedule rotation among conference divisions.
Police asked anyone who witnessed incidents of violence or has video evidence to contact the department at 408-615-4700 or the anonymous tip line at 408-615-4TIP (4847).
