Five people, including three teenagers, were arrested after a chaotic fight erupted at a high school football game between Newnan High School and East Coweta High School in Georgia on Friday night.
The altercation broke out near the home-side concession stand around halftime at Garland Shoemake Stadium, sending attendees running as a handgun was left abandoned on the ground, according to the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office.
Dramatic video shared to Facebook by 11Alive captured a group of young men launching into a violent confrontation, punching and shoving each other to the ground while surrounding crowds scrambled away. Two additional fistfights appeared to break out on either side of the primary brawl.
Bystanders fled the scene as the chaos unfolded, with some people caught up in the fighting while others backed away to record footage on their phones. Several deputies and a Georgia State Patrol trooper raced into Garland Shoemake Stadium, splitting up to restrain those involved and wrestle them to the ground.
Police response and weapon recovery
Uniformed officers ordered the crowd to leave the venue as several young men were led away in handcuffs. Authorities arrested five people in total, including three boys aged 16, 17, and 18, WSB-TV 2 News reported.
Following the brawl, investigators recovered an abandoned firearm from the ground. Law enforcement confirmed that the gun had not been fired during the disturbance, and police are working to determine who brought the weapon onto school grounds.
All five individuals remain in custody while authorities determine the next legal steps, including whether they will be formally booked or charged. It remains unclear how many of those involved or detained were students. No serious injuries were reported among those detained or anyone else attending the game.
School system statement
In a statement to WSB-TV, Coweta County School System Safety Director Danielle Rosa commended law enforcement officers for their swift action in stopping the fight.
"We had a strong presence on hand to monitor and respond immediately when this occurred at tonight’s game, and I am grateful for the high level of cooperation and coordination we continue to have here," Rosa said.
Background and investigation
Newnan High School and East Coweta High School are public secondary schools located in Coweta County, Georgia, southwest of Atlanta. High school football games between cross-county rivals in the region typically draw substantial local crowds.
Investigators from local police agencies and the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office are continuing to examine the incident to identify who brought the gun to the stadium and finalize charges against the five detainees.
