A high school football game in Southern California on Friday was canceled after an overflow crowd created a disturbance that caused police to appear in riot gear.
Long Beach Poly led Serra, 28-14, at the half when the incident occurred.
Police have their riot gear now at the Long Beach Poly vs. Serra game. Halftime has been delayed for about 30 minutes and counting. pic.twitter.com/e7KVsjA3NY
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) September 9, 2023
The game was announced as a sellout, but apparently long lines of fans still arrived and were unable to get into the game, and that apparently set off some incidents in the parking lot.
Eventually, police from several nearby South Bay cities were called to assist, some dressed in riot gear, and a police helicopter was dispatched, delaying the start of the second half. As the halftime clock ended, both teams made their way back out to the field, and waited and waited, as school officials from both teams consulted with the police about the next steps.
The wait lasted approximately an hour before the game was finally canceled. The Gardena police department made the official ruling to cancel the game.
Final: Long Beach Poly 28, Serra 14 in Gardena. The game was called off at halftime as police in riot gear, with shields and riot control weapons, responded to an overflow crowd in the parking lot outside of the stadium. pic.twitter.com/ZceAlpXxfj
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) September 9, 2023
Darius Curry had thrown 3 TD passes in a game that saw a flurry of four scores in the final minutes of the first half.
Long Beach Poly football coach Stephen Barbee shares his reaction to the Poly vs. Serra game being called off at halftime by local police in Gardena. Poly was up 28-14 at halftime, scoring 21 points in the final 2:19 of the second quarter. Poly is 3-1 heading into Moore League. pic.twitter.com/MSWCS3XZcr
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) September 9, 2023
