Philly Wedding Brawl Leaves 1 Dead, 3 Others Behind Bars
A celebration of two people turned tragic after a fight broke out during a wedding reception in Philadelphia which left one person dead and three others behind bars.
According to police, the confrontation started when members from at least two separate wedding parties got into the altercation while they celebrated inside the Sheraton Society Hill Hotel in downtown Philadelphia.
Local reports indicate that several people were involved in the melee. It was the result of one group fighting with another wedding party that had returned to the hotel after an off-site reception.
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Eyewitnesses told police that the altercation began in the lobby of the hotel and then as more people joined in the fracas, it started to spill out into the street. Police were called to the scene at around 1:30 a.m., according to WLTX.
Some of the observers who witnessed the fight posted video of the altercation on YouTube. The video had received nearly a half-million views by Monday morning.
Police department spokesman, Lt. Ray Evers, explained that the fight erupted between members of one wedding party and those of another wedding party. The problem occurred after guests arrived from a reception that was held at another location, according to reports from The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Sadly, police confirmed that a 57-year-old man suffered a heart attack during the melee and was rushed to Jefferson Hospital around 2:50 a.m. Sunday, where he later died. It is not known if he was involved in the fight.
When police arrived they used non-lethal means to break up the fight. One man was charged with assaulting an officer and two other men were cited for disorderly conduct, Evers said.
"If we had the opportunity to hit everyone with disorderly conduct, we probably would have," Evers told The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey was made aware of the video and will discuss the matter with the district attorney to determine if other charges would be brought against other guests.
