One witness, who asked to be identified only as “John Doe,” recorded video of the scene as tensions escalated.
SAN ANTONIO — A postgame celebration following the Spurs’ win Wednesday night turned chaotic along Southwest Military Drive, where video captured fans being shoved and tackled during clashes with police.
San Antonio police said two people were arrested after crowds gathered on the south side to celebrate the victory by honking horns, waving flags and filling the streets shortly after midnight Thursday.
One witness, who asked to be identified only as “John Doe,” recorded video of the scene as tensions escalated.
“Some people, I’m not going to say everybody, but there’s certain people who ruined it for the crowd,” Doe said. “They didn’t know how to act and I guess the police acted accordingly.”
Doe said the atmosphere changed after someone in a red car began revving their engine while driving through the celebration crowd.
“What I did see was the police come, because it’s a one-way, so they came this way down the one-way just to stop him,” he said.
Video from the scene shows officers pushing through crowds as people flooded the roadway. Some individuals were also seen being tackled during the confrontation.
Doe said he believed officers were attempting to control a growing and increasingly unruly crowd.
“I feel like the police were doing their jobs to an extent,” he said. “I do understand that the crowd of people actually annoy and get under the police’s skin. And I feel like that also had a play into their actions.”
He added that many people ignored orders to stay out of the street.
“I do know that a very huge crowd rushed the street,” Doe said. “It’s their job to keep people out of the street. I know some people were drinking alcohol and don’t like to listen, so I know that also comes into play.”
In a statement, the San Antonio Police Department said “several individuals engaged in unsafe and illegal activity,” prompting officers to take enforcement action “to maintain public safety.”