Two Argentinian YouTubers allegedly tried to turn a World Cup match into livestream content by slipping through stadium security with expired credentials, but ended up in a South Florida jail instead.
The arrests happened Saturday night during Colombia vs. Portugal at Miami Stadium, where deputies took 20-year-old Lautaro B. Marmol and 26-year-old Patricio Rafael Perrotta into custody for felony interference with a sports/entertainment event.
Their online fame did not help once authorities accused them of reaching the stadium grounds after slipping through three security checkpoints.
Authorities said the pair used credentials from an earlier tournament game, even though the passes were no longer valid.
Marmol allegedly framed the breach as content creation, telling deputies he wanted to stream the match for his followers after stadium officials stopped him.
Perrotta allegedly claimed he was there for media-review work and thought the expired credential still gave him access.
A Miami-Dade judge found probable cause for both men and set bond at $2,500 each.
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By Sunday afternoon, both men were still listed at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
The two creators were part of a much larger enforcement night at the stadium. Their arrests were among 16 reported at the stadium that night, the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said.
The stadium arrests came as World Cup-related turmoil stretched beyond the stands and into a criminal investigation involving the captain of Cape Verde’s soccer team.
Another World Cup-linked investigation centers on Cape Verde captain Ryan Mendes, 36, and an allegation from a translator who says she was attacked in an Auckland hotel room in March.
The Brazilian woman, whose name has not been released publicly, had been hired to translate for the team.
The translator says her complaint reached at least three Cape Verde soccer officials without producing action.
Investigators now have security footage from the Auckland hotel, after New Zealand police took up the case last month. Mendes has not been charged, and the investigation remains ongoing.
The alleged victim said she returned to her room after a supposed team meeting turned out to be a social gathering where her translation work was not needed.
Mendes allegedly followed her there. She said the alleged assault began when she answered a knock at her hotel-room door.
She alleged that Mendes punched her in the face, bit her and sexually assaulted her. A police report included photos showing injuries to her mouth, neck, leg and side.
FIFA has acknowledged the case but limited its response while investigators continue their work.
The organization said it is taking the allegations “extremely seriously,” but declined further comment.
The World Cup has also been followed by bursts of violence in U.S. cities where crowds gathered around matches.
A Cape Verde celebration in Brockton, Mass., turned into a shooting scene after the team’s 0-0 draw with Saudi Arabia.
In Brockton, where the country’s largest Cape Verdean community lives, the celebration had spilled into the Main Street area before gunfire broke out.
Police were called to the Main and Park streets area shortly before midnight as gunfire reports began piling up.
Brockton police said at least four people were hospitalized with gunshot wounds.
Another World Cup watch party turned chaotic in Los Angeles, where a 56-year-old father was shot while confronting a gunman near hundreds of soccer fans.
Luis Romero, 56, had gone with his son to the Koreatown crowd gathered for Mexico vs. South Korea when the World Cup watch party erupted into gunfire.
The gathering near Seoul International Park had drawn families and soccer fans into the neighborhood before gunfire scattered the crowd.
An armed suspect allegedly arrived and fired several rounds, sending panicked crowds scrambling.
With families and children nearby, Romero later described acting on instinct to stop anyone else from being hit.
He rushed toward the gunman and tried to disarm him. During the struggle, Romero was shot in the leg.
Footage obtained by the Los Angeles Times captured Romero bleeding heavily while bystanders rushed toward him.
Police later arrested 19-year-old Andy Rodriguez near Normandie Avenue and James M. Wood Boulevard shortly before 7 p.m.
Footage showed Rodriguez angrily yelling at bystanders as officers handcuffed him. Police have not disclosed a motive.
Romero was rushed into surgery after the bullet tore through his left thigh and severed an artery.
The viral footage is now evidence in the shooting investigation. In the footage, LAPD Officer Helen Zheng moved quickly to Romero and applied a tourniquet.
“There was a lot of blood. Right away, I knew this man needed help right now. Every second counted… It just happened really fast,” Zheng said. “The training kicked in.”
Romero later thanked the officer for helping save him. “Thank you for saving my life [and] for helping me,” Romero said.
His son Leon also praised Zheng for stepping in when his father was bleeding on the pavement.
“I fell in love with her because she helped my dad out. That’s a beautiful thing to do,” Leon said.
Two people were gunned down at a different World Cup watch party in nearby San Jose on Sunday.
According to police, “One victim was pronounced deceased on scene. The second victim was transported to a local hospital with life threatening injuries.”
The incident, which happened at a designated World Cup “fan zone,” is currently being investigated as a homicide.
