Richmond Police sent out a vaguely worded news release on Wednesday about a situation involving “an extremely large crowd gathered inside and outside a local restaurant” on Tuesday night, and immediately, it was obvious what they were telling us about – a large gathering related to a World Cup watch event involving Mexico.
Which turned out to be the case – media reports from the Richmond market pinpoint the business in question as Cochiloco, a Mexican restaurant, which drew a crowd that stretched outside the front door and onto the sidewalk for the Mexico-Ecuador match in the Round of 32.
Final score: Mexico 2, Ecudaor 0.
Setting the scene: the game was scheduled to kick off at 9 p.m. ET, but the start was delayed for an hour due to lightning strikes in the vicinity of Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
Before the game had kicked off, somebody called the Richmond PD about the large crowd at Cochiloco, which is located on West Moore Street, in the Scott’s Addition area.
Officers arrived at the scene at 9:28 p.m., about a half-hour before the rescheduled opening kickoff for the World Cup match, and per the news release, the large crowd outside the business made it difficult to access the building to assess the conditions inside.
Basically, the cops wanted to ensure that there weren’t too many people inside relative to the fire code, which, understandable.
So, a call was made for assistance from the Richmond Fire Marshal “to evaluate the safety of the venue,” from the release.
“While awaiting the Fire Marshal’s arrival, security personnel directed officers to a disorderly adult male,” the release tells us next. “The individual refused to comply with officers’ lawful commands and was taken into custody without incident. He was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct.”
This is where things got out of control.
“As additional fights began to break out among the crowd outside the restaurant, officers requested additional officers to help restore order,” the release said. “Due to the escalating disorder and the size of the crowd, officers deployed department-issued foggers outside the restaurant to disperse the crowd and bring the situation under control.”
Reporting from local TV station WTVR-News6 fills in the blanks.
Reporters with the station interviewed a patron, Sean Luangkhamdeng, a content creator who shot video outside the restaurant, and per Luangkhamdeng, the atmosphere was positive for most of the night.
“It was a dude being arrested and pulled away. After all the cops moved, two guys started fighting,” Luangkhamdeng told the TV station. “Cops didn’t even do anything, they didn’t even step in or pull them apart, and then they sprayed tear gas, and they sprayed everyone, not just the guys.”
Luangkhamdeng said he was among those hit by the spray.
“I got sprayed really bad. I mean, it was an instant hit, it was all in my throat, it was in my eyes,” Luangkhamdeng said. “Just wanted to have a good time, and it sucks that it was ruined for a lot of people.”
Another patron, Caleb McNeely, who told the TV station that he was inside the restaurant during the incident, said he first realized something was wrong when he smelled an unusual odor.
“It smelled like plastic burning mixed with some chemicals, and I see people running, people jumping over the counter, people falling, chairs getting thrown,” McNeely said. “Then the cops are in here, everybody says get out, get out right now. The owners are panicking, and next thing I know, I’m outside coughing, my eye’s puffy right now on my left eye, and my eyes were just watering.”
Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards defended the department’s response.
“We’re proud to see our community come together to celebrate the World Cup. While the vast majority of those in attendance celebrated responsibly, officers acted quickly and in accordance with department policy when isolated incidents threatened public safety. We remain committed to ensuring Richmond is a safe place for everyone to celebrate,” Edwards said in a statement.
Cochiloco issued a statement indicating that managers at the restaurant were “still reviewing” what happened.
“While we have hosted soccer matches before, we believe this day was an exception due to the significance of the Mexico match,” the statement said. “We are taking it seriously and reviewing staffing, capacity, and event procedures. For the time being, we will not be hosting big matches until further notice. We understand this was concerning for guests, nearby businesses, and the community. Our priority is the safety of our guests, staff, and neighbors, while continuing to be a place where families and everyone feels welcome.”
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Chris Graham
