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(NewsNation) — Videos appearing to show a brutal brawl in the heart of Cincinnati, Ohio, have gone viral as five people have already been charged and more arrests are anticipated, police Chief Teresa A. Theetge said Monday.
The incident occurred at 3:06 a.m. Saturday in Cincinnati’s downtown area, which was crowded with more than 150,000 people attending a major basketball game, a Reds game and a music festival. Officers arrived on scene at 3:12 a.m. to find the fight had ended, with most participants gone but victims still present.
Video shows graphic Cincinnati brawl
One video taken during the early Saturday morning fight shows a man in a white T-shirt being shoved to the ground by two others. He’s then beaten and stomped on for nearly one minute by multiple people in a crowd.
“We have victims and suspects identified,” Theetge said. “We have charged five people, and we anticipate there will be more. Anyone who put their hands on another individual during this incident in an attempt to cause harm will face consequences.”
Other videos appear to show a woman being punched and potentially knocked unconscious for several seconds. Multiple videos, posted by Signal 99, a self-described “Spicy meme page for Cops, Firefighters, Medics and Dispatchers” on Facebook, show crowds with their phone cameras on, documenting the violence.
That Facebook group places the brawl near Fourth and Elm streets on July 25, though Cincinnati police have yet to confirm the exact location.
City officials and authorities have not confirmed whether anyone was hospitalized from the fights.
The chief criticized bystanders for failing to call police during the incident, noting that despite numerous people recording the fight with cell phones, only one person called 911.
“For all those people recording with cell phones and for us to only get one call is unacceptable in this city,” Theetge said. “That social media post and your coverage of it distorts the content of what actually happened and makes our jobs more difficult.”
Theetge said alcohol played a significant role in the incident and that investigators are looking into whether some participants were overserved at local establishments.
Ramaswamy says he spoke with Cincinnati assault victim
Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said Monday he spoke with the woman assaulted, criticizing the lack of police presence and emergency response during the incident.
In a social media post, Ramaswamy identified the victim as “Holly,” describing her as “a single working mom who went to a friend’s birthday party.” He called it “unconscionable that there were no police present in that area of Cincinnati on a Friday night, or even an ambulance to take her to the hospital.”
Ramaswamy, who is running for Ohio governor, used the incident to criticize what he called an inadequate law enforcement response and local leadership.
“Hard-working Americans shouldn’t have to worry for their safety when they have a good time in our cities,” Ramaswamy wrote. “Holly said not a single local or state official had yet reached out as of earlier this afternoon, other than one police detective.”
Cincinnati leaders react to videos of fights
Theetge denounced the violence the following day.
“I am in complete disgust waking up to the viral video many of you have now seen. The behavior displayed is nothing short of cruel and absolutely unacceptable. Our investigative team is working diligently to identify every individual involved in causing harm,” Theetge said in a statement.
According to Theetge, the violence arose from a “sudden dispute” after a “verbal altercation” and was not connected to the Cincinnati Music Festival, which brought thousands downtown Friday night.
Cincinnati City Council Member Mark Jeffreys called the video “incredibly disturbing and horrific,” and fellow Council Member Seth Walsh said, “If it makes anyone question wanting to come downtown, then it means we are failing as a city.”
Mayoral candidate and JD Vance’s half-brother, Cory Bowman, pointed to the violence as evidence that the city has “major problems” relating to crime and crime response.
Vance also addressed the video during a Monday event in Canton: “What I saw, and I haven’t seen the full context, but what I saw is a mob of lawless thugs beating up on an innocent person, and it’s disgusting.”
Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval said in a statement, “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.”