Thirty involved in Freeport soccer riot

FREEPORT – Almost a dozen Walton County Sheriff’s Office deputies helped break up a melee at the Freeport Sports Complex Sunday night during which a soccer referee locked himself in his vehicle out of concern for his safety.

About 30 people were involved in the fight, but Walton County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Mike Gurspan said it was not clear what started it or who instigated it.

No arrests were made, he said, and no weapons were involved.

A call came into the dispatcher’s office around 5:45 p.m. about people throwing items at the referee in a Hispanic soccer league game, according to a news release from the Sheriff’s Office.

The referee had reportedly been chased twice around the field and was briefly cornered before he got into his vehicle and locked himself inside, the release says.

At one point about two dozen other people were seen fighting around the sports complex.

Once the deputies arrived, the crowd dispersed and “everybody started leaving at that point,” Gurspan said.