Last night’s World Cup watch party in downtown Chula Vista ended not with a final cheer, but with officers firing pepperball projectiles into a crowd that had spilled onto Third Avenue after the Mexico–England match. Families and fans, including children, scrambled as the street filled with people trying to get out of the way. Witnesses said officers moved quickly from telling people to clear the area to using crowd-control rounds, leaving some attendees shaken and questioning whether that level of force was really necessary. Police officials later said the deployment was meant to restore safety after what they described as violent and disruptive behavior.
In a written statement, the Chula Vista Police Department said officers had partially closed streets for the match and that, after repeated orders to disperse were ignored and people began throwing bottles, launching fireworks, and blocking police cars, they deployed pepperballs to break up the gathering, according to Fox 5 San Diego. The department told reporters the projectiles were aimed at the ground and used to move the crowd as a whole, not to target specific individuals, and said the tactic succeeded in clearing the roadway.
People who were on Third Avenue said the shift from a mostly celebratory scene to crowd-control munitions felt abrupt. “That’s not enough warning to warrant shooting at us,” one witness told ABC 10News. Cellphone video shared by bystanders showed children and parents running from the street as officers fired into the crowd.
What officers say happened
The department said a patrol vehicle was damaged after someone kicked it and threw objects at it, and that officers were trying to restore safe conditions for nearby businesses and residents, according to Fox 5 San Diego. Police also said the special events team was attempting a partial closure of Third Avenue when the crowd refused to move, prompting repeated dispersal announcements that, in their account, went unheeded before pepperballs were used.
Where this fits with recent watch parties and policy
Downtown Chula Vista has turned into a major World Cup hub, with city-backed screenings and packed fan zones that have drawn thousands of people to Third Avenue and Memorial Park, according to NBC 7 San Diego. The pepperball incident also follows a recent City Council move to revise rules on police purchases, allowing equipment to be acquired in “rare and exigent circumstances,” a change critics warned could expand officers’ authority in tense situations, per KPBS.
Community reaction and next steps
Local residents who attended the watch party said they want clearer de-escalation plans in place for future events and voiced concern about families who bring children to the downtown celebrations, attendees told ABC 10News. City officials did not immediately offer additional comment beyond the statement given at the scene.
