A video from Saturday’s game between the Florida Gators and the Georgia Bulldogs shows police officers beating two fans as dozens of other spectators look on.
According to TMZ Sports, police were called to quell a disturbance between fans at Everbank Stadium in Jacksonville. However, how the officers subdued the fans has drawn considerable criticism online.
“Why are you punching him?” one woman can be heard saying in the video.
The footage begins with one officer on the ground punching a fan repeatedly in the face and head area. The other incident involved an officer standing while holding a Florida fan in something resembling a headlock. Shortly after, the standing cop sees his partner punching the fan on the ground, and the cop begins striking the fan he is grappling with.
The officer standing, however, may have thought he had good cause to begin delivering strikes, as the video shows the fan’s hand near his utility belt and precariously close to his firearm.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office’s Professional Standards Division released a statement, saying they’re aware of the video and have begun “administrative reviews” to determine what happened.
The Georgia Bulldogs won the game, defeating Florida by a final score of 34-20.
