Though SFPD Chief Suhr said he was hoping SF 49ers fans would clean up their act at Sunday’s game, it was apparently not to be: officers ended up arresting 29 people, up from 24 arrests the week before at the Saints game, and kicked out nearly twice as many fansas they did the week before
“I would hope that our fans would be as classy as the organization is itself,” Suhr told reporters last week, after a season of assigning additional officers to Candlestick Park since what Suhr called “a Raiders game that was unlike any other” in August.
Compared to that preseason game between the two Bay Area NFL teams, one that was marred by a shooting that injured two men near Candlestick Park and a beating inside a stadium bathroom that seriously injured a man, Sunday’s game was a marked improvement: according to SFPD Sgt. Michael Andraychak most of yesterday’s arrests were alcohol related.
16 of Sunday’s arrests were outside the stadium and 13 occurred inside. “Of the thirteen arrests in the stadium,” said Andraychak in an email sent to media “one subject was charged with a felony for threatening an officer. This subject had his two year old son with him and he was also charged with child endangerment.”
In another, previously reported incident, a male fan in the upper level of Candlestick Park allegedly assaulted two police officers at around 5 PM. One of the officers under attack used pepper spray on the suspect, which also hit another officer and a female fan. Both had their eyes flushed out and recovered without incident.
According to Andraychak, SFPD ejected about 110 people from the ‘Stick, up from 57 ejected at the Saints game.
“We believe this increase can be attributed to the late start of the game, alcohol consumption, a zero tolerance approach by police and 49ers security and the educational campaign directed at fans to report unruly behavior,” Andraychak said.
Though police didn’t bust anyone for selling counterfeit tickets at the game, several fans showed up with them in their possession, Andraychak said.
As promised, said Andraychak, police officers clad in Giants jerseys reported unruly behavior to uniformed officers. Uniformed officers made several arrests and ejections as a result. Full reports on that operation are still being compiled, Andraychak said.
“Feedback from fans, the 49ers and NFL regarding these plain clothes officers was positive,” said Andraychak.
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