A Colombian soccer official and his son were among those arrested amid the chaos of the Copa America final. NBC6’s Ari Odzer reports
The president of the Colombian Football Federation and his son were among those arrested after chaos erupted at the Copa America final Sunday at the Hard Rock Stadium.
Ramón Jesurún Sr., 71, and Ramón Jesurún Jr., 43, both face charges of battery on a specified official/employee, according to arrest reports. Jesurún Jr. faces an additional charge of misdemeanor battery.
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The father and son are accused of attacking security guards following Colombia's loss to Argentina at the Copa America final.
"It was totally unfair," Jesurún Jr. told reporters after he was released from jail Monday night. "And again, hey, we’re humans, and anything can happen, but they started it first. It was ridiculous, we had the credentials, the official credentials, so it was ridiculous."
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Chaos delayed the final after fans swarmed the stadium on Sunday. Police said they arrested 27 people, with Luis Beltran Martinez and Elkin Mayorga among those facing serious charges.
Martinez rushed the entry gate and did not display his ticket, an arrest report stated. He is also accused of throwing water at an officer in an attempt to distract him from detaining another person.
A witness told police that Mayorga also jumped the southwest turnstiles. He resisted officers' attempts to remove him from the stadium and tried to run away, an arrest report stated.
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Mayorga later got into a fighting stance, police said. He was struck in the face by an officer before he was taken into custody. He was later hospitalized for a laceration to his face, the report stated.
Both men are facing charges related to trespassing and battery on a law enforcement officer. Mayorga is facing additional charges including disorderly intoxication and resisting an officer with violence.
Video from Only in Dade showed the moment fans jumped a fence at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, ahead of the highly-anticipated faceoff between Argentina and Colombia.
Cellphone video captured the moment unruly fans pushed through security guards and law enforcement personnel to enter the stadium. Additional video showed a separate incident in which fans crawled into stadium vents.
Police later released a statement, confirming that several incidents took place as a result of unruly behavior and fans trying to access the stadium.
"Despite these extensive safety measures, numerous unruly fans not in possession of tickets made numerous attempts to breach the stadium gates, as well as to bypass security check points for the safety of all attendees," police said in a statement released Monday.
The chaos prompted questions surrounding sufficient security measures at the venue.
“We should’ve been prepared for that rabid crowd, so we know they come to party and we should be prepared for that so we gotta do things a little bit different," former Miami-Dade Police Director Juan Perez told NBC6. “Look at yourself in the mirror and see where the failures were, you can’t control the crowd but you can control what you can do.”
An officer was struck with a rock during an incident, Miami-Dade Police said. Fire officials said they responded to 116 medical-related incidents at and around the stadium.
“A really dangerous situation, a lot of destruction of property, some people got hurt, I saw some kids firsthand that were properly spooked, crying, it was a real bad scene, it kinds felt like the end of Titanic a little bit, everyone’s panicking and trying to find their way, it was real bad," said Mike Ryan Ruiz of the Dan Le Betard Show.
Hard Rock Stadium later released a statement, ensuring that security was not the issue at hand.
"Preparations included an increase in the number of law enforcement officers and security on-hand, with more than double the personnel than a typical at-capacity stadium event," a Hard Rock Stadium spokesperson said.
There were several incidents in which fans tried to overpower security at entry points to the stadium, the spokesperson confirmed.
It happened just a few hours before Argentina and Colombia were set to battle for the title.
"Various stadium gates were closed and re-opened strategically in an attempt to allow ticketed guests to enter safely and in a controlled manner. Fans continued to engage in illegal conduct — fighting police officers, breaking down walls and barricades and vandalizing the stadium, causing significant damage to the property," the statement continued.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava issued a statement saying she was outraged by the security failures, noting that Miami-Dade Police had over 550 officers assigned to the game. She emphasized that this situation should not have happened.
