The on-field result from last night's Clásico Tapatío -- one of Mexico's oldest rivalries -- was unfortunately overshadowed by a massive brawl between Chivas fans and police. The trouble broke out after Chivas fans began lighting flares and throwing objects from their section in the upper deck of the stadium down into the lower bowl. In reaction, an extremely small group of officers -- armed only with minimal riot gear -- went into the middle of the Chivas section and tried to get the situation under control.
Bad idea.
According to reports, there were 17 arrests, along with severe injuries to seven supporters and two police officers. The fighting carried on for nearly 15 minutes as approximately 20 officers were sent into a group of over 8,000 fans, which was a pretty poor decision by law enforcement. There's no excusing the behavior of the fans, but plenty of fingers will be pointed at the police and Atlas as well.