A large World Cup gathering outside a Scott’s Addition restaurant ended with Richmond Police deploying chemical agents to disperse the crowd after fighting broke out.

At 9:28 p.m. last night, RPD officers responded to a disorderly conduct call at Cochiloco restaurant, where soccer fans were watching Mexico’s elimination round game.

Caleb McNeely and Sean Luangkhamdeng, two content creators who were at Cochiloco, taped the encounter.

Luangkhamdeng said fighting erupted outside between four males – whom he believed to be teenagers – both before and after officers arrived. Both men counted at least 20 officers on scene, as well as members of Richmond Fire Department. RPD stated additional numbers were necessary due to additional fights that started breaking out. 

While waiting for backup, security personnel directed officers to a man whom McNeely and Luangkhamdeng described as “completely drunk.” RPD confirmed that the person was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, which the two men said he “definitely deserved.”

In a press release, Richmond Police said officers used “department-issued foggers” outside the restaurant to disperse the crowd and “bring the situation under control.” However, they said they did not use the foggers, which use the same ingredients as pepper spray, inside the restaurant.

McNeely and Luangkhamdeng both contested this.

“It’s literally on video of them spraying (from) multiple angles,” McNeely said. 

The two men said officers only gave one warning to leave the restaurant before deploying the chemicals inside and outside. McNeely said his eyes still hurt and Luangkhamdeng said his asthma worsened the effects.

Luangkhamdeng said he understood needing to break up the fighting, but didn’t see why officers needed to use foggers for four fighting teenagers, given the large number of “peaceful” bystanders and a sizable police presence. 

He added that he believed there was no need to spray inside when all the fighting took place outside the restaurant.

“People were jumping through the back of the restaurant, jumping over the counter, jumping through the windows, girls crying, guys crying (and) coughing,” McNeely said. 

Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards issued a statement about the department’s response. 

"We're proud to see our community come together to celebrate the World Cup,” he wrote. “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."

Cochiloco, which was closed Wednesday and is set to reopen Thursday, released a statement that said the match “brought a significantly larger crowd than expected, and the area became extremely crowded.” 

They said they believe the match's significance as an elimination game contributed to the size, which “created concerns” for guests, neighbors and the community. As a result, they will not be hosting watch parties until further notice, including Mexico’s next match on Sunday. 

While neither Luangkhamdeng or McNeely said they condoned the fighting, they don’t believe it was an accurate reflection of the crowd or Richmond as a whole.

“It’s super easy to cherry pick the 30 seconds when everything went wrong, but the hours after that and before that were amazing,” Luangkhamdeng said. “Friends and family were still able to celebrate a win.”

Contact Intern Haidyn Brockelman at hbrockelman@richmonder.org.