Police say they have arrested two people in connection with the stabbing on Sunday outside Candlestick Park before the Giants-49ers game, and they say it began with taunting a fan who was wearing a Cowboys jersey.
San Francisco Police Sgt. Michael Andraychak said a verbal altercation between a man in a Cowboys jersey and two 49ers fans turned physical, and that one of the 49ers fans, Kristopher Viana stabbed the fan in the Cowboys jersey and tried to stab two of his friends. Also arrested was Viana’s friend Alexandro Arguelles, who punched at least one person as the two of them ran off.
Both men are charged with assault with a deadly weapon. The stabbing victim’s injuries are not life-threatening.
The NFL’s security department has said that its increased safety measures -- including metal detectors at every stadium -- have made fans safer. In this case, the violence was outside the stadium, committed by fans who were apparently more interested in picking a fight with someone in another team’s jersey than they were in going inside to watch their team play.