Orioles Fans Fight Protestors, Camden Yards Goes on Lockdown

As helicopters circled overhead and protestors smashed windows outside, Camden Yards put fans on lockdown on Saturday.

The death of Freddie Gray, a Baltimore resident arrested after leading police on a foot chase, catalyzed the unrest. Mr. Gray allegedly did not receive timely medical attention for a spinal cord injury, and died a week after his April 12 arrest for carrying a switchblade.

Thousands of protestors marched on city streets near Camden Yards during Saturday’s the Red Sox-Orioles game. Some collapsed in place in a “die in” on the street. Others threw rocks at police and windows. The demonstrations led to brawls between fans and protestors at bars near the stadium.

“Due to an ongoing public safety issue, the Mayor of Baltimore City & the [Baltimore County Police Department] have asked all fans to remain inside the ballpark until further notice,” the jumbotron at Camden Yards told fans. “Thank you.”

“Very strange,” Steve Cockey told the Baltimore Sun, “from being whisked in here. They were just ripping tickets, just getting people in as quickly as possible, which I’ve never seen. They did not do the metal detectors. Very, very strange. I’ve never been trapped in the ballpark before.”

Baltimore received better news inside of Camden Yards than outside of it. David Lough hit a walk-off home run in the tenth to give the Orioles a 5-4 victory over the Red Sox.