An MMA event in South Florida went off the rails this past Saturday, and video shows a chaotic scene that included multiple brawls, chairs being thrown – and a man firing a handgun into the air.
It’s not clear from the video, obtained by TMZ, exactly what started the melee at “RIZE Fighting Championship: Battle of Warriors” at the Bamboo Room in Lake Worth, Fla., north of Fort Lauderdale. But NBC Miami reported some fans were upset with how a referee called a particular fight.
In the video, a man is seen reaching into a woman’s purse, pulling out a handgun, then firing at least one shot into the air while fights were happening around him outside the cage. There appears to be fans nearby on a balcony level above the man on the main floor.
“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,” Rize promoter Armando Gonzalez told NBC Miami.
Gonzalez on Sunday posted on his Facebook page about “these unfortunate incidents.”
“Unfortunately, our Saturday Night event came to an abrupt end due to unwelcomed and unacceptable behaviors of some of the attendants of the event,” Gonzalez posted. “However we will not let these unfortunate incidents disrupt our promise to entertain local fight fans. We have been fortunate to have one of the safest fight events in the area. We at RIZE are dedicated and will continually focus on safety for all in attendance at our future events.”
Former UFC and Bellator fighter Hector Lombard was in attendance at the event and posted a cell phone video on Instagram of the shooter from a different angle.
“This guy just shot his handgun in the middle of a melee at an amateur show,” Lombard posted. “Shameful and pathetic cowardly behavior ruined a great night of fights.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CMqw-aWjwlX/?igshid=1m9kkhxse7ovl
The Palm Beach Post reported the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office is trying to identify who shot the gun.