Columbia's soccer federation president and son among 27 arrested in chaos at Copa America final
Mon, Jul 15, 2024
Soccer News (AP)
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) - The Miami-Dade Police Department said it made 27 arrests and 55 ejections following a host of crowd control issues Sunday at the Copa America final between Argentina and Colombia, including fans breaching security gates at the entrance of Hard Rock Stadium.
Ramon Jesurun, the head of soccer's governing body in Colombia, was arrested along with his son Ramon Jamil Jesurun after being accused of fighting multiple security guards amid the spectacle.
Miami-Dade police detective Andre Martin confirmed to The Associated Press that both of them were detained Sunday after the event at Hard Rock Stadium, and charged. He did not disclosed the charges.
Arrest records showed Monday that Ramon Jamil Jesurun was booked on three counts of battery on an official Sunday.
Columbia's soccer federation didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from the AP.
It was a chaotic scene just hours before the scheduled 8 p.m. start of the championship match between the two South American countries: Fans forced their way in and jumped over security railings and ran past police officers and stadium attendants, some appearing hysterical as they searched for the people they arrived with.
There appeared to be significant damage to the venue as a result. Video and images posted to social media showed the shattered side railings of an escalator inside the stadium, with shoes, soda cans, reading glasses and articles of clothing left behind. Security railings at a checkpoint in the southwest entrance to the stadium were bent over as thousands of people, including crying children, pushed against them.
The department said over 800 law enforcement officers were at the event.
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Associated Press writers Terry Spencer and Gisela Salomon contributed to this report.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
