Family says 9-year-old boy broke an arm during chaos at Copa America final in Miami

MIAMI – Chaos broke out at the Copa America final on Sunday as crowds stormed inside Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens moments before the match between Argentina and Colombia was set to begin. 

At the height of the mayhem, some people said they were hurt, including children.

A boy was taken to urgent care for his injuries. CBS News Miami spoke with him and his family as they were heading to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital for further treatment. The family said that a game that was meant to be an amazing father-son experience turned into a nightmare.

Leading up to the game, “excited” was an understatement for 9-year-old Lucas Sherman. 

“Before the tournament even started, my grandfather, who was born in Argentina, and loves the Argentina team, he said if Argentina goes to the finals, he’s gonna bring us tickets,” the boy said. 

Not only did his team make it to the finals, but it would have been Lucas’ first soccer game ever. As he and his father were trying to find a gate to enter the stadium, chaos erupted. 

“Kind of huddled by the police to try to feel safe because there were just mobs of chaos everywhere,” said Scott Sherman, Lucas’ dad. 

Social media images showed thousands of people shoving each other, jumping over barriers and fences. Scott Sherman captured a video of people hopping over the fence. 

“Police were outnumbered, so they couldn’t control the mob,” the man said, “but then what was also pretty crazy, I guess some of the people that did get caught, they were instead of just holding them or arresting them, they were just releasing them back out because they didn’t know how to deal with them, and then those same people would go right back into the mob and try to get it again.”

That’s when Lucas said he felt pain in his arm.

“We finally found a gate that was open, and we tried going in, but suddenly there’s like a stampede and somebody hit my elbow and now it’s fractured,” Lucas recounted. 

Even though he missed the live game and ended up with a fractured arm, Lucas still sees the bright side: “It was a good game, but we just it was disappointing that we couldn’t go.”

The family purchased suite tickets that they couldn’t use due to the mayhem. Now they have to go through the process of trying to get their money back like so many others. 

For her part, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said this Monday that the county and the event’s organizers will be reviewing the incident to better prepare for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be hosted by the U.S. At least seven World Cup games will take place at Hard Rock Stadium. 

“I was outraged by the unprecedented events that took place,” Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said during a press conference on Monday, thanking public safety personnel for handling the thousands of people.