Berkeley High football game reportedly ends early after fighting in stands

A Berkeley High football game reportedly ended early after a fight in the stands. (Yalonda M. James/S.F. Chronicle) The Berkeley High School football home opener on Friday ended early, the Berkeley Scanner reported, after fighting in the stands.

>One attendee told the Scanner that multiple fights broke out in the bleachers, with fans running onto the field amid reports that one person brandished a firearm.

>The game ended in the third quarter, amid the chaos, with "just kids running in every direction," police said, in the Scanner story.

>Friday was the first home game for the Berkeley High Yellowjackets (3-1), who won 27-10 over the Arroyo Knights (1-4) from San Lorenzo.

>"My understanding is that there were some fights, which were broken up by school officials. There was a report that someone may have had a gun, but we did not find anyone with gun and there were no arrests related to the game," Officer Byron White of the Berkeley Police Department told the Chronicle.

>Officials from Berkeley Unified School District were not immediately available for comment Saturday morning.

>Sports photographer Kathryn Jay, who was photographing the matchup, wrote in a social media post that "some wildness in the stands didn't detract from a well-played game (though it did mean the game ended sooner than expected)."

>Police records show that officers were dispatched to the game multiple times: for a fire alarm shortly before 9 p.m., a medical emergency half an hour later, and what was described as an assault on a police officer just after 9:30 p.m.

>The day before the game, the student-led fan page barstoolberkeleyhigh posted a video on reminding students of how to behave at games, including respecting seniority, staying positive, not spending the game on their phone - and not fighting.

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