Fights shut down Berkeley High football game
Police said they received reports of a gun but ultimately did not find one.
Berkeley High's first home football game of the season ended early Friday night amid fights in the stands.
"Jackets stadium was evacuated this evening," one attendee told The Scanner.
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.
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.
Did you attend the Berkeley High football game Friday night? Let us know what you saw.
Since launching TBS in 2022, we’ve published more than 1,500 stories that might otherwise have gone untold. Help us tell the next 1,500 →
