Berkeley High football game ends early amid fights, chaos
Police said they received reports of a gun but ultimately did not find one.
Update, 4:55 p.m. A community member who was at Friday's night Berkeley High football game described what happened before the game ended.
He said he first noticed a police car pull up through the gate at Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Bancroft Way, with other cruisers remaining outside.
Then a swarm, "an absolute wave," of students ran down the concourse from the Bancroft side.
"They were a mix of scared, hyped up and gleeful. They were yelling about a fight," he said.
Players from the visiting team then ran to hide in a bathroom on the far side of the field. They may have thought there was a gun, he added.
Things seemed to calm down. Then another large group of students came down the concourse and stopped near the 35-yard line.
The group had come from the direction of the earlier incident and seemed agitated, he said.
"All of a sudden, that group became a large-scale fight involving several students. A few were being punched and kicked after falling to the ground. Other students were filming," he said.
Contrary to an earlier report, no one ever ran onto the field but they did run onto the track, which surrounds it.
At one point, the visiting cheerleaders were evacuated, but the stadium itself was never evacuated, he said.
"When the game was called, the teams lined up and high-fived," he said. "The game ended and people went home because the game was over."
The Yellowjackets defeated Arroyo 27-10. They play Tennyson at home Friday, Oct. 2.
Original story: Berkeley High's first home football game of the season ended early Friday night amid fights in the stands and general disorder.
Multiple fights broke out in the bleachers and people ran onto the field during the game, they said, adding: "Rumors that someone brandished a gun."
Berkeley police said they received reports of a gun but ultimately did not find one.
The game ended in the third quarter "because there were just kids running in every direction," police said.
When the game ended, fans left without further issues, police said.
Authorities received several calls during the melee: a fire alarm at about 8:45 p.m., which turned out to be false; a medical emergency at about 9:20 p.m.; and a battery report at 9:35 p.m.
"Some wildness in the stands didn’t detract from a well-played game (though it did mean the game ended sooner than expected)," photographer Kathryn Jay wrote on Instagram.
The Jackets began their season Aug. 28 but Friday night was their first home game, according to the bhsjacketfootball Instagram account. The game began at 7 p.m.
On Thursday, the barstoolberkeleyhigh account shared a video reminding students of proper game etiquette, including "no fighting" and "don't storm the field!"
."It would have been nice if the rules were actually followed," one person commented on the post after Friday night's game.
The Berkeley Fire Department assessed at least one victim for injuries but no one was arrested, police said.
The Scanner will seek additional details from the Berkeley Unified School District.
This story was updated after publication with several additional details.
Did you attend the Berkeley High football game Friday night? Let us know what you saw.
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