There’s questions and even more concerns over Levi’s Stadium security following Sunday’s stabbing.
Police have made in arrest in that incident. But community members say this is more than just a fight and they’re calling it a security problem.
San Jose pastor John Arce Sr. said Sunday’s stabbing at Levi’s Stadium was hard to watch—but he added that he wasn’t surprised that a knife made it to the stands.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
“Those detectors aren't working. I walked through there,” he said.
Arce and his family were at a football game a few months ago. He says he remembers walking through the metal detectors with a pocketknife and scissors without a problem.
“When I get to the thing, I’m thinking I gotta take everything off. I ask the guy do I take my belt off? He says 'No, just put your phone and care in here and that's it.'" he said.
Police said they are still looking into how the suspect in Sunday’s stabbing ended up with a knife inside the stadium.
Alejandro Garcia Villanueva was arrested Tuesday in Sacramento.
When asking Levi's Stadium and police about security flaws or possible changes—a spokesperson for the stadium responded and they said in part: “In collaboration with local, state and federal agencies, Levi’s Stadium employs security industry best practices for all events across the board."
They added that "they regularly evaluate security protocols and are in the process of conducting an internal investigation alongside Santa Clara police to identify areas for improvement."
“It's important to emphasize that we had adequate staffing at this event and we had adequate deployment to respond to incidents that arise during the event,” said Lt. Coung Phan with Santa Clara police.
Police said they are also looking into how the suspect was able to enter the stadium with a knife.
NBC Bay Area spoke with a security expert who says security flaws have a lot to do with how robust these metal detectors are. He said that security workers should be making sure they’re set up properly and actually working.
