A football fan responsible for a violent post-game brawl at Qualcomm Stadium following a Chargers vs. Cowboys game last fall was sentenced in San Diego Friday.
According to court officials, Ramon Heredia, 41, must serve 400 volunteer hours for his role in the fan fight. He was also given probation for the next three years.
Heredia pleaded guilty to smashing a beer bottle over a fan’s head following the Chargers vs. Cowboys match-up on Sept. 29, 2013.
Witnesses said the parking lot brawl began as a verbal altercation but quickly escalated, with numerous bottles flying between opposing fans.
The fight lasted nearly half an hour and was caught on tape by witnesses.
Video of the confrontation showed the beer bottles being used to strike victims as a large crowd in the parking lot tried to break it up.
Police said the fight mainly involved two suspects – one of whom was Heredia – and two victims. Heredia was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon. The victim he struck sustained minor injuries.
The second suspect in the brawl was not immediately identified or charged. Police said that suspect allegedly struck a male victim over the head with a beer bottle and the victim suffered multiple lacerations to his head. The wounds required 13 staples.
The violent fan brawl in San Diego broke out less than a week after a California man was fatally stabbed during a rivalry-fueled fight that followed a baseball game between the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers in San Francisco.
After the altercation at Qualcomm Stadium, police told NBC 7 that there are fights and arrests at every Chargers home game.
Qualcomm Stadium has an alcohol policy that limits beer sales during the game. There is a two-drink limit until the start of third quarter. After the third quarter begins, fans can purchase only one drink per visit to the concession stand. No alcohol is sold in the fourth quarter.
The Chargers website says glass bottles are not allowed in the Qualcomm Stadium parking lot.
