A brawl erupted inside a bar in Lake Worth Saturday night, moments after an MMA fight ended.
Cellphone video from inside the Bamboo Room shows it got violent outside of the ring when a handful of people didn’t like how a referee called the fight.
“Punches were thrown, bottles were thrown,” said John Rivera, a former professional fighter who was judging the match.
The video shows a woman throwing a chair into John Rivera’s face. Rivera was trying to calm people down, but it wasn’t working.
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“There was nowhere I could move, left or right there were alternations all over the place, it was chaotic. When I tried to get from the mayhem the woman threw the chair at me,” Rivera said.
Then it got worse. A man in a red shirt and jeans reached into a purse to grab a gun, and seconds later, fired into the air.
“Who knows what his thoughts were, if it was to diffuse the situation, but you can’t do that in the United States, especially at an event packed with fans, with people, you can't shoot guns in the air,” said Armando Gonzalez with Rize Fighting Championship, who organized the event.
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Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputies are investigating and confirmed at least two shots were fired. They say no one was hit by the bullets and no arrests have been made.
Rivera says he’s suffering from headaches and blurred vision. He wants those responsible to go to jail.
“I think about the situation, every second, every minute, every hour of the day. I want prosecution to the full extent of the law, it’s not right, it’s not fair,” Rivera said.
The Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone who was there that night to call them with information so they can build their case. You can call Crime Stoppers at (800) 458-TIPS (8477) and remain anonymous.
