EUCLID, Ohio — The Euclid City School District is investigating “multiple disturbances” that led to the closing of restrooms and concessions stands and patrons being ordered to remain in their seats during Friday night’s high school football game against Cleveland Heights High School, according to Christopher Papouras, superintendent for Euclid City Schools.
It started when a fight broke out between two students near the concession stand as the game approached halftime.
The district said police used pepper spray to disperse the crowd. Working with Euclid police, the district closed the school-side restroom and concession stands. Spectators were asked to remain in their seats for the remainder of the game.
“We put these measures in place to encourage those that weren’t there to watch the game to leave and to also manage the flow of the crowd leaving the game to prevent additional disturbances. These measures were largely successful in mitigating any other physical confrontations for the balance of the event,” Papouras said in a statement.
After the crowd dispersed, a gun was fired in the stadium/high school parking lot. The gun was found at the scene and no injuries were reported, according to the district.
Over the next several days, the district said it will complete a thorough investigation.
"We regret that the disturbances leaked into the surrounding neighborhoods after the game. Over the next few days, a thorough investigation will be completed and we will support the high school administration in properly and fairly imposing consequences for the students who were at the center of this disturbance. We will also release information on future guidelines to attend games and other district-sponsored events. These guidelines may include limiting attendance of EHS students through presale tickets, parent participation for students to attend, and other options that we will review with our leadership team," Papouras said.
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