Police Say Officers Who Struck Fans at Georgia-Florida Game 'Acted Within Policy'

The Jacksonville (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office says officers “acted within policy to protect themselves and nearby fans” during two altercations caught on camera during Saturday’s Georgia-Florida game at EverBank Stadium, home of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

As reported by The Associated Press, Jacksonville sheriff T.K. Waters released body-camera footage and details regarding two fights that resulted in viral videos from the rivalry game nicknamed “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.”

In the videos officers could be seen striking fans, according to The Guardian. One video shows officers struggling with two spectators in the stands. Surrounding fans could be heard screaming at officers to stop. A second video shows an argument between a man and two JSO officers escalate into a fight that left the man with his face bloodied and handcuffed after being shot repeatedly with a stun gun. Neither video showed circumstances that led to the confrontations.

“In the first incident, the suspect was asked multiple times to leave and threatened the officers attempting to remove him. The suspect later grabbed one officer’s firearm,” the sheriff’s office said following a review Monday. “In the second incident, three suspects were asked to leave due to aggressive behavior toward other fans. They then became combative with officers, with one individual grabbing an officer’s face and holding onto his service belt.”

Waters said that in the first incident the suspect had directed a racist slur at one of the officers, who is Black, according to The Guardian report. He added that footage of the second incident appeared to have been cut to make it “intentionally misleading.”

Jacksonville mayor Donna Deegan called the videos “disturbing,” per the AP report.

“While the use of force can appear intense, our investigation determined that the officers in both incidents acted within policy to protect themselves and nearby fans,” the sheriff’s office said.

Per The Guardian, the Georgia-Florida game is notorious for its rowdiness, and Waters said the crowd at the weekend was particularly fiery. “This was a different game,” Waters said. “They’re not always like this. We had a horse punched in the face.”

He added that six officers were injured at the game, eight people were arrested, and 35 fans were ejected.