Security Puts Fan in Chokehold After Reported Crowd Disturbance During 76ers-Pistons

A video from Xfinity Mobile Arena shows a fan being forcibly removed from the stands during the Philadelphia 76ers’ 106-93 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Sunday, including a moment in which he appears to be held in a chokehold. What led to the confrontation is far less clear.

NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Clark posted the scene from the arena. In his post, Clark said several fans had been involved in an incident in the stands and that police officers had to forcibly remove one fan who refused to leave.

The 57-second clip shows three security personnel surrounding the fan, who appears to be wearing a black “DET” shirt, as Sixers fans look on. Near the end of the video, one of them wraps his arm around the fan’s neck from behind and holds him as the fan is moved out of the seating area.

The clip spread further after it was shared by LeBaron, a Sixers fan account on X. According to that post, the fan had gotten into multiple verbal altercations with 76ers supporters, and when police asked him to leave, he refused and said he had done nothing wrong. Those details come only from LeBaron’s post, which begins with “Apparently.” They have not been confirmed by police, the arena management or the 76ers.

No official statement has addressed the incident, and it is not known whether the fan was arrested, cited, or banned.

The arena’s code of conduct requires guests to follow venue rules, respect other spectators and comply with directions from arena staff. Violations can result in ejection or other consequences, depending on the circumstances. However, the venue’s general policies do not establish the specific reason for the intervention in this case.

This is not the first time fan behavior has caught everyone’s attention at the arena. In 2021, when the building was called Wells Fargo Center, the 76ers revoked the season tickets of a fan who dumped popcorn on Russell Westbrook and banned him indefinitely. In 2022, a fan who taunted Carmelo Anthony was also banned indefinitely. Two fans who swore at Isaiah Thomas, then with the Washington Wizards, were banned for 12 months.

The latest footage circulated following Philadelphia’s October 25 matchup against Detroit, which ended in a 106-93 victory for the Pistons. They opened the game with a 15-1 run and handed Philadelphia its first loss of the season.

Off the court, the full story of what happened in the stands is still unknown. An official account from the arena, the 76ers, or Philadelphia police would be needed to explain how the confrontation started and why it ended with the fan in a chokehold.

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