Victory celebrations turned into mass rioting after the San Francisco Giants clinched the 2012 MLB World Series. Thousands of frenzied baseball fans lit fires, overturned cars and rampaged through the city.
Fans had congregated in City Hall to watch with baited breath as the home team snatched victory from the Detroit Tigers after 10 innings of nail-biting action.As the match came to a close, fans went wild with joy, setting off fireworks in the streets, setting fires, smashing windows and spraying each other with alcohol.Many climbed on top of cars and buses, and shouted out their love for the Giants. In one strange display saluting their team’s four-game sweep of the World Series, fans brandished brooms and danced down the streets of North Beach, chanting “Sweep, sweep, sweep!”"We swept them," elated supporter Frank Orrell, 29, told local newspaper the San Francisco Chronicle. "You can't do anything better than that."The post-match hysteria was comparable with the raucous celebration in 2010 after the Giants clinched the title."We're going to help the partiers party," police Sgt. Tad Yamaguchi told the San Francisco Chronicle, citing the precautions taken based on events in 2010. "As long as they're lawful and having fun, we're all for it."