Stabbing inside Levi’s Stadium during soccer match heightens concerns about security

SANTA CLARA — A brawl and stabbing captured on video during a soccer game at Levi’s Stadium earlier this month is raising new questions about security at one of the Bay Area’s biggest event facilities — home of the San Francisco 49ers, countless major concerts and the scheduled site of matches in the 2026 World Cup.

Brawls at sporting events are nothing new; combine robust alcohol sales with sets of opposing fans often sitting in close proximity to each other, and fists will be thrown. But the graphic video on social media of the July 2 fight at a CONCACAF Gold Cup match between Mexico and Qatar — a chaotic swirl of people, grabbing each other and exchanging sloppy punches — is escalated in seconds as a man runs in, swinging what appears to be a knife over his head and into the group.

A 29-year-old Sacramento man was arrested within days and faces three charges of felony assault. Authorities said Friday that the weapon was a metal folding knife, smuggled through a security checkpoint.

Deputy District Attorney Aidan Welsh said that the fight had begun as the match ended. Welsh said video footage showed the suspect taking out the knife out of his pocket and charging up five rows of seats toward the brawl, stabbing one victim so close to his artery he could’ve been killed.

One expert who consulted on the stadium’s security design told the Bay Area News Group that while getting a weapon like a knife through metal detectors and bag checks might not be easy, it clearly isn’t impossible, either.

“It’s disappointing, but not shocking” that the weapon got through security, said Dan Donovan, who worked on security design at Levi’s Stadium before it was built and was a safety consultant during Super Bowl 50. Donovan said “your grandfather’s pocket knife” would easily get through most metal detectors, but for a larger weapon it would be more difficult.

“The reality of this is that we’re relying on contract security staff and particular technology like metal detectors to detect these weapons but there’s still human error in this. The fact (that) this blade happened to get in … I’m sure Levi’s Stadium security management team and general manager are looking at this with a fine-toothed comb.”

An event of the Gold Cup match’s size — nearly filling the stadium to its capacity of 68,500 — could be staffed by as many as 850 security workers, Donovan said, with a roughly 3-to-1 ratio of private guards and sworn police officers on special duty.

A spokesperson for Levi’s Stadium condemned the stabbing in a statement and said the safety of its guests is their highest priority. The statement said the Levi’s Stadium security team “regularly evaluates our security protocols and are in the process of conducting an internal investigation alongside Santa Clara Police to identify areas for improvement.”

Santa Clara police did not return a request for comment Friday. The person who was stabbed — as well as two others who were slashed defending against the attack — was recovering.

The stadium is set to host a match between FC Barcelona and Juventus on July 22, and two concerts by pop star Taylor Swift on July 28 and 29.

The stabbing could be a critical moment for Francine Melendez Hughes, who was hired earlier this year to be the general manager of Levi’s Stadium operations. Before that, Hughes was a longtime executive for the Los Angeles Dodgers and was in charge of Dodger Stadium security operations in 2011, when San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow was viciously beaten in a stadium parking lot.

Stow’s attorneys argued in a lawsuit that the stadium didn’t have proper security and placed the blame on Hughes, calling her “grossly unfit” for her position. The suit led to a $18 million judgment and a review of security protocol at the stadium.

A San Francisco Chronicle review of records related to the suit found that Hughes had a career in real estate but no background in stadium management or security before joining the Dodgers. Before joining the 49ers, Hughes had only worked in sports from 2009 to 2013, the report said.

Hughes did not return a request for comment, and it is not known publicly what changes she has made to Levi’s stadium security. In a statement, San Francisco 49ers President Al Guido said the team is “fortunate” to have Hughes leading its “award-winning staff.”

“Francine has spent decades running more than a dozen stadiums, sports venues and facilities around the globe,” Guido said. “Her role leading our partnership with (Santa Clara Police), along with other state and federal agencies, was critical in facilitating a rapid response on Sunday and assisting law enforcement’s investigation and arrest of the suspect.”

But Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor, expressing dissatisfaction, called for further investigation.

“The incidents of violence that happened at the July 2 soccer match at Levi Stadium were disturbing and raise questions,” Gillmor said. “Therefore, we need to look closely at the operations and management currently in place for answers.”

Donovan told the Bay Area News Group that he believed the incident shouldn’t provoke extra worry among stadiumgoers.

“I’m sure the management team is going to act very swiftly and efficiently to take a look at how this particular blade happened to get in where it happened and take a look at the staffing around those entry areas,” Donovan said. “I wouldn’t be alarmed because it’s sure they’ll put the resources to mitigate whatever issues they find.”