Police Chief: 5 charged in connection with violent downtown Cincinnati brawl that went viral
Five people have been charged in connection with a violent Cincinnati brawl that has gone viral on social media.Cincinnati Police Chief Terri Theetge said those charged and the charges filed have not been shared, as the records remain sealed at this time. Theetge said the victims have also been identified.The incident unfolded in downtown Cincinnati early Saturday. Police tell sister station WLWT it began as a verbal altercation that quickly turned physical. Further details were not given.Videos showing parts of the brawl started circulating online Saturday morning. One video shows a man, who appears to be struggling to get up as he's repeatedly kicked and hit by multiple people.In another video, a woman is seen being punched, falling to the ground, her head slamming onto the concrete.Theetge said only one call was made to police, with officers responding within minutes from when the call was made. She said when officers got to the scene, the fight was over. She said she anticipates more will be charged."I will say if individuals were down there and participated in this event, it would be in their best interest to turn themselves in, "Theetge said. "Anyone who put their hands on another individual in this incident in an attempt to cause harm, will face consequences. I don't care which side of the incident or fight they were on."The chief said the investigation is ongoing and all potential charges are being investigated for everyone involved.She said they will also be investigating if anyone involved was overserved."It's clear alcohol played a part, a significant part, in this incident," Theetge said.She shared tips they've received have helped lead them to charges, but emphasized that they only received one 911 call during the entire incident. "Nobody called the police. Nobody got us there as quickly as we could get there. They waited until they saw it on social media. That is unacceptable to not call the police when you view this. Traffic was horrendous. People saw this, they were fighting in front of traffic," Theetge said."What should we expect from our youth, if this is the kind of adult behavior that is setting an example for them. That is unacceptable by the adults in our community," Theetge said.She continued, saying the social media and media posts in general "do not depict the entire incident.""That is one version of what occurred," she said. She said posts show "one side without context."Theetge did not have any update on the victim's conditions. Cincinnati FOP President Ken Kober said he believes they were taken to the hospital with "pretty serious injuries" for treatment and will be "recovering from this for a while." Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval also released a statement Monday.“I am outraged by the vicious fight that occurred downtown. It is horrifying to watch, and this unacceptable and disgusting behavior is intolerable in any part of our community. That’s not who we are as a city," Pureval said in the statement. The viral video also now grabbing the attention of Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno and billionaire Elon Musk on the platform "X".Musk brought attention to the altercation by reposting an account talking about the incident and asking, "Why zero stories?"
