WATCH — ‘They Acted the Fool’: Hundreds Brawl at Florida Skating Rink After Party Cancellation

A massive brawl involving 400 to 500 people erupted Saturday at a skating rink in Brandon, Florida, after a teen’s birthday party was canceled.

Deputies with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) arrived at Astro Skate, whose building has a 670-person max capacity, and found the huge group of people fighting in the parking lot, Fox 13 reported Monday.

Authorities said someone broke a window at a nearby barbershop which reportedly caused about $1,200 in damage, and $500 worth of wine bottles were broken and property stolen from a 7-11 in the area.

Deputies arrested approximately 23 juveniles and six adults during the incident.

Video footage shows some in the crowd punching each other and one person appears to be slammed into a window, breaking the glass. Later in the clip, several people seem to be tearing at a woman’s clothes and hair as they drag her through a parking lot:

Astro Skate Manager Andrea Leary told Fox 13 that the day before the brawl, the business canceled and refunded a teenage girl’s 18th birthday party. She claimed the young woman was not happy and told people on social media to show up anyway and “basically harass Astro Skate.”

HCSO Chief Deputy J. Maurer said the patron asked users online to “riot and confront law enforcement,” according to WFLA. The outlet noted the person had not met requirements for events at Astro Skate.

The business owner, Chris Maganias, said when they refunded the woman’s money, she was irate and called them names. “The next day she got online and told the kids to show up at the skating rink anyway and act a fool, you know. So, they acted the fool.”

In a statement attached to the video of the brawl posted online, HCSO Sheriff Chad Chronister said, “I am outraged by the violent and disruptive behavior that targeted hard-working people and businesses, creating chaos in our community.”

“Let me make this unequivocally clear: this violent and detrimental behavior will never, under any circumstances, be tolerated in Hillsborough County,” he explained.

“When responding to a scene as hectic as this, our deputies must account for potential danger from any direction. As you can see in the horrifying footage, these individuals had no regard for safety, and that’s where our deputies stepped in to defuse the situation professionally and swiftly,” Chronister concluded.

Authored by Amy Furr via Breitbart May 21st 2024