Philadelphia Riot: Eagles Fans Pull Down Light Poles And Flip Cars After Super Bowl, Serious Injuries Reported
Philadelphia Eagles fans have reportedly started to riot after the team’s Super Bowl victory, with reports of downed light poles and flipped cars in downtown Philadelphia including some serious injuries.
Police in Philadelphia had been preparing for the possibility of riots following the Super Bowl, including putting hydraulic fluid on light poles in an attempt to keep fans from scaling them. As the Chicago Sun-Times reported, police were taking preparations for what they believed were inevitable disturbances after the game. Police had also tried to take precautions ahead of the AFC Championship Game, but failed to keep fans from climbing light poles.
Video from after the AFC Championship Game showed fans managing to scale the 25-foot poles despite police greasing them with Crisco. Ahead of the Super Bowl, police tried to use a more powerful lubricant in the hopes of keeping fans from scaling the structures.
But reports from after the Super Bowl noted that the fans who streamed out onto Broad Street after the Super Bowl had started to cause property damage. The Philadelphia riot grew from there, with reports from police scanners that light poles had been taken down and that at least one man fell from a light pole and was unconscious. Other local reporters shared pictures of cars flipped during the Philadelphia riot.
It appears that the situation grew out of hand quickly in Philadelphia. Just after the game ended, Philly.com reported that the fans were “chaotic but peaceful” following the game, but reports from fans in the crowd and police scanners showed it quickly turned more dangerous, with reports of large-scale fights and serious injuries from fans who were struck by flying objects.
#NOW @eagles fans flip a car outside the Bellevue! Come on guys! Celebrate responsibly!!! Police are guarding the car now on its side @PhillyPolice @6abc @Eagles pic.twitter.com/zDYnDwNaVk
— Christie Ileto (@Christie_Ileto) February 5, 2018
As the celebrations spread, police reported that some were throwing bottles at police officers. The demonstrations were focused around Broad Street in downtown Philadelphia.
There were many who shared live video of the Philadelphia riots, including a feed from NBC Philadelphia and another person broadcasting live from Broad Street in the heart of the rioting (Warning: these feeds may have not-safe-for-work language). This is a developing story, and will be updated as more information is released.
