Police say 300 Schalke fans fought Dortmund, Koln rivals in wooded area

DORTMUND, Germany (AP) — Hundreds of fans of German soccer club Schalke fought with rivals from Borussia Dortmund and Koln in a wooded area, Dortmund police said Sunday.

The Schalke supporters were on their way back to Gelsenkirchen on a train following their team's match at Magdeburg when someone pulled the emergency cord and several fans disembarked the train.

After a delay, the train continued but the emergency brake was activated again two minutes later near the Dortmund-Scharnhorst train station and a "larger group of people left the train and ran into a nearby wooded area" for "a physical alteration" against "violent Dortmund and Koln fans," the police said in a statement which did not mention any injuries.

Police encountered around 300 Schalke fans on a forest path, and around 90 Dortmund fans and five Cologne fans near a sports field, where they also found materials used for fighting including gloves, mouthguards and ski masks.

The items were confiscated, and the fans charged before their release with offenses including breaching the peace, causing dangerous bodily harm, and dangerous interference with rail traffic.

Police also found incriminating weapons among the Schalke fans. They face charges including breaching the peace, dangerous interference with rail traffic, and the misuse of emergency call systems.

Altogether the train was delayed for almost 75 minutes between the two interruptions.

The police said their investigations are continuing.

Also, police in Gelsenkirchen said around 30 unknown individuals stormed a private party being held by supporters of the Rot-Weiss-Essen soccer club, smashing furniture and assaulting guests while shouting expletives about people from Essen. Essen is just 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from Gelsenkirchen.

Witnesses described the perpetrators as having Schalke tattoos, the police said. No one was injured in the attack.

It's unclear if it was related to the earlier violence in Dortmund.

"It's all the same whether it's in Dortmund or Gelsenkirchen – whoever thinks violence is a part of football is not a fan but a criminal," Gelsenkirchen police chief Tim Frommeyer said. "We the police will consistently take action against hooligans and thugs. This behavior damages football. It must and will be punished."

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