Rebecca Butts

rebbutts@enquirer.com

Emotions ran high on the field and in the stands during the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers Wild-Card game Saturday night, leading to at least six fan arrests by the game's end.

The rivalry between the two teams reached a boiling point in Saturday's game that concluded the Bengals' playoff dreams with a 18-16 loss. That tension extended to some fans who chose to take out frustrations with punches, headbutts, and one man even urinated on another inside Paul Brown Stadium, according to police. In total, three Bengals fans and three Steelers fans were arrested.

More arrests were made during Saturday's game than during typical home Bengals games, said Cincinnati Police Captain Mike Neville.

"This was an anomaly compared to what we’ve seen in the past," Neville said, adding that a typical Bengals game sees two or three arrests, usually for disorderly conduct. "We know that certain games would bring intensity into the stadium and we prepare for that."

More officers were assigned to patrol Downtown and the stadium in the hours before, during and after the game, he said. Police expected increased activity due to the heated rivalry between the two teams and the significant number of out-of-town visitors.

There were other disorderly conduct arrests made Downtown between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. but no felonies or critical incidents occurred that were linked back to the football game, Neville said.

"We know that we were going to have tens of thousands of people floating around Downtown that night so we prepared for that too," Neville said, adding that some officers worked overtime in the hours after the game.

"We don't go home just because the game is over. We had the incidents in the stadium. We had minimal incidents outside throughout the night, so we feel comfortable with saying that that was a success."

Four people have been arrested by Cincinnati police for incidents inside and surrounding Paul Brown Stadium during Bengals-Steelers games since 2010, according to police data. Two of those arrests were for disorderly conduct during a November 2010 game.

A man was arrested in Dec. 2014 on charges of assaulting an officer and resisting arrest, according Cincinnati police. A woman was arrested at the same game on charges of criminal trespass and resisting arrest.

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The first altercation Saturday occurred in a line to get inside the stadium around 8 p.m., just before kickoff. Police said it began when Jared McCarty, 19, of Reading, argued with a woman about cutting in line at an entrance gate and stole her Bengals hat.

McCarty, who wore a Bengals jersey, threw the hat away, police said, and the two groups separated only to run into each other again at their seats inside the stadium. The argument resumed in the stands and McCarty allegedly punched the woman in the head, causing her to fall to the ground, according to court documents.

Police discovered a fake identification card on McCarty upon his arrest. The teen admitted to drinking alcohol, police said.

McCarty is accused of falsification, underage drinking, theft, and assault. He was arraigned Monday and released on a $3,000 bond. The court also ordered him to stay away from and have no contact with the woman he's accused of assaulting, according to court documents.

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A Steelers fan who traveled from Westville, Indiana, is accused of punching a woman in the face as he exited Paul Brown Stadium around 10 p.m. Tyler Matthys wore a Steelers jersey when police arrested him and accused him of the assault. His court date is not yet scheduled.

Martin Cooke, 33, of Germantown, Kentucky, was arrested after police said he urinated on the person in front of him in Paul Brown Stadium. Cooke, who wore a Bengals hoodie, is accused of fighting with the man and punching him in the face, court documents state. He is facing disorderly conduct and assault charges. Cooke was arraigned Monday and released on a $2,000 bond, according to court documents.

Police said David Grillo, 25, of Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania, walked up an aisle in the stadium and threw a beer at a fan during the game. Grillo was wearing a black jersey at the time, police said, and his Facebook page indicates he is a Steelers fan. The beer hit the fan in the face and caused lacerations, police said. Grillo is accused of assault. His court date is not yet scheduled.

A Cheviot man who wore a black shirt to the game, is accused of head-butting a man in the face. Phillip Ross, 29, was arrested at Paul Brown Stadium and is accused of assault. His Facebook page suggests Ross is a Bengals fan.

Andrew Robles, 28, of Allentown, Pennsylvania, was being ejected from the game for an unknown reason when, police said, he escaped officers and punched a woman in the face. Robles, who wore a Steelers jersey, is accused of assault. He was arraigned Monday and released on a $10,000 bond. The court also ordered him to stay away from and have no contact with the woman he's accused of assaulting, according to court documents.