A racist brawl broke out between a band and bar patrons at an Atlanta watering hole, leaving several people injured, including a woman who was hospitalized.
At the Ideal Sports Bar in southeast Atlanta, patrons were agitated by the band's performance after members made political and derogatory remarks about white people. According to WSB-TV Atlanta.
A man yelled the “n-word” at a black member of the band, prompting jeers from patrons. The musicians then left the stage and a fight broke out between the bar stools and the pool table.
“We knew it would be pretty bad if the N-word was thrown out,” one white band member told the magazine in an on-camera interview.
“I think they wanted to kill. They didn't want to fight,” he added of the hecklers.
surveillance video A photo posted by Ideal Sports Bar shows the band's young black guitarist taunting an older white man who was standing near a pool table watching the performance.
The two are separated by a group of mostly women, and the performance continues.
It's not clear who threw the first punch, but a scuffle broke out and engulfed other Barbae in a tornado of violence.
Video of the commotion shows patrons throwing punches at each other's heads and brandishing pool sticks.
A man catches a woman dancing with a band. He becomes the center of a swirling skirmish, pinning a woman to a pool table and shaking his fists.
When he emerges from the fray, blood drips from his forehead.
One shieldmaiden appears to be distributing wooden weapons to those already engaged in battle.
Some people grab chairs and threaten to throw them.
“We didn't expect it to get this serious. We didn't expect that much violence,” band members told WSB-TV.
Large spots of black blood were seen on the floor of the bar, and a woman was sent to the hospital with a cut to her head, the report said.
“She needed eight stitches in the back of her head,” one witness told the publication.
In a statement posted on social media, the owners of Ideal Sports Bar apologized for the violence and bigotry.
“When considering the circumstances surrounding this incident, it is clear that both sides contributed to the escalation. Emotions ran high, leading to conduct that is unacceptable to both parties,” Ideal Sports Bar wrote in an article. Post to Instagram.
“We do not tolerate lyrics that call for the murder of humans, so we will be taking steps that include screening the bands we book.”
“Hate has no place at Ideal Sports Bar,” the statement added.
The bar's owners said they are cooperating with Atlanta police and have banned everyone involved in the brawl.
