Arrest made in connection with fight that left 49ers fan in medically-induced coma after NFC Championship Game

An Oakland, Calif. man has been placed in a medically-induced coma after being found allegedly beaten outside of SoFi Stadium during the NFC Championship Game. According to a report by CBS News, police stated that 40-year old Daniel Luna, 49ers fan, was found in a SoFi Stadium parking lot at approximately 4 p.m. local time, 30 minutes into the game between the Niners and Los Angeles Rams.

According to Inglewood, Calif. police, Luna had been mingling in a crowd of about 16 people, most of whom appeared to be wearing 49ers gear, when he pushed a man who was wearing a Rams jersey from behind. The man pushed Luna back when Luna turned to walk away, and then punched him in the mouth, causing Luna to fall to the ground and hit the back of his head.

Per ESPN, Luna suffered fractures to his face and was placed in a medically-induced coma in order to prevent internal bleeding from swelling his brain. A suspect in the incident has been arrested, but police did not release further details.

“It looked like a small altercation that went very bad,” Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr. said. “From one punch and someone falling, hitting their head on the ground. It wasn’t like you had people ganging up on somebody and beating them.”

Luna, a restaurateur in Oakland, Calif., had flown to Los Angeles to attend the NFC Championship Game alone after other fans who had planned to attend the game with him cancelled their plans. A friend of Luna’s told the Los Angeles Times that he usually shared photos of his outings with friends and relatives, but they did not receive the usual pictures on Sunday night.

In a statement to CBS San Francisco, the 49ers strongly condemned the attack on Luna.

“What happened to Daniel Luna is reprehensible, and we strongly condemn all acts of violence,” read the statement. “We know local authorities are conducting a full investigation, and we’re here to support them however we can. Our thoughts and prayers go to Mr. Luna, his family, friends, and the medical team providing him care.”

Despite a significant presence of 49ers fans at Sofi Stadium, the Rams were able to rally back from a 17-7 deficit to start the fourth quarter and win the NFC Championship Game, 20-17, over their NFC West rivals. The Rams will now play the Bengals in Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium.