HOUSTON – What was meant to be a moment of fan unity and support as the Houston Texans took on the New England Patriots quickly fell off the rails, turning into a chaotic scene with multiple brawls, violent incidents and arrests at NRG Stadium.
The various melees and disputes took place in stadium seats, in the concourse and in the parking lot.
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The tickets to attend the watch party were free, but they still needed to be reserved on the Texans’ website.
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Videos of the situations were captured and quickly shared on Facebook by Grizzy’s Hood News.
In the concourse, small groups of fans were seen engaging in physical altercations, with some spectators being escorted away in handcuffs by Houston police officers working security jobs.
One fight was captured in the stands and appeared to involve two men and the groups they were with. The men grappled with each other, pulling on each other’s shirts as multiple punches connected. Women who appeared to know the men attempted to break up the scuffle.
Trash, food and beverages were scattered across the ground below the stadium seats amid the chaos.
Outside the stadium, authorities responded to a separate incident in the stadium’s parking lot, which reportedly happened near the 8500 block of Kirby Drive near the 610 South Loop.
A witness video showed a confrontation between two groups in the lot, involving two groups of people. A man from one group walked towards the other group and quickly broke into a sprint the other way upon realizing someone in the other group was holding a handgun.
The situation appeared to de-escalate after bystanders surrounded the gunmen and tried to calm him down, but the man engaged once more, this time pointing the gun at the other group while screaming insults. No injuries were reported in the altercation.
HPD officers were heavily involved in the stadium brawls, being captured by witnesses putting multiple alleged participants in cuffs.
It’s unclear how many attendees were apprehended or arrested.
KPRC 2 reached out to HPD and NRG Stadium officials for more information on the situations, and we’ll provide updates when we hear back.
Anyone with information related to these incidents is urged to contact Houston Police Department.
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