Santa Clara police arrested 11 people and ejected 45 others after multiple violent fights broke out during and after the San Francisco 49ers and Las Vegas Raiders game at Levi's Stadium on Sunday.
The incidents, which unfolded across the stadium and nearby areas, have left several questions hanging over fan safety at one of the most heated rivalry matchups on the calendar. Police said several of the cases remain under investigation.
Witnesses describe sudden violence
One 49ers fan, Ken Winland, recorded one of the fights and said it quickly escalated into a full-on brawl. He described the scene as a straight-on attack, saying people came up the aisle and from out of nowhere before the confrontation turned into a 4 or 5-person brawl, with bodies going left and right.
Another fan, Steven Gomez, said the atmosphere around Sunday's game had the feel of the long-running Battle of the Bay rivalry, even though the Raiders are now based in Las Vegas. But Gomez said the violence crossed a line, adding that he saw a woman struck in the face.
More scenes emerged after the game
The disorder was not limited to one part of the venue. Social media videos showed some of the violence, with around a dozen fight videos circulating after the game.
Then on Monday evening, a Raiders fan shared photos of a vehicle with a broken window and said at least four other vehicles parked in an off-site lot also had windows shattered after the game. That adds another layer to what police are still trying to piece together.
For fans, the key issue now is not the rivalry itself, but whether the atmosphere around a major event at Levi's Stadium can be kept under control. Winland said the scenes were not what anyone would want to see, while Gomez said the experience made him think twice about bringing his youngest son to a game.
