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() Videos appearing to show a brutal bawl in the heart of Cincinnati, Ohio, have gone viral as police say they’ve identified “several” suspects, local media reports.
One video taken during the Friday 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.
Others 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 and time of the incident.
City officials and authorities have not confirmed whether anyone was hospitalized from the fights, or whether anyone has been arrested in connection the violence.
Cincinnati leaders react to videos of fights
Cincinnati police chief Teresa 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 reported by local media.
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 on Friday night.
Cincinnati city council Mark Jeffreys called the video “incredibly disturbing and horrific,” and fellow councilmember 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 has not yet released a statement about the videos.
