E-Paper
Viral Cincinnati fight: Police identify victims and suspects, file charges against 5
Videos of a violent brawl near the Cincinnati Jazz Festival went viral over the weekend, sparking outrage. Vice President JD Vance condemned the incident.
Cincinnati Police Chief Terri Theetge provided an update Monday on the violent brawl that erupted near the Cincinnati Jazz Festival in the city's downtown area over the weekend. She confirmed that police have identified both the suspects and the victims involved, and charges have been filed against five individuals so far.
What happened?
The incident took place early Saturday morning near West Fourth and Elm Streets. According to Chief Theetge, the first 911 call was received at 3:06 a.m., and officers arrived at the scene by 3:12 a.m. By the time police got there, the altercation had ended and most participants had already fled. Officers spoke with victims still on scene and documented the incident in an official offense report.
“At this point, we have victims and suspects identified, and we have charged five people in this offense,” Chief Theetge said during a press conference. She did not release the names of those charged and added that the charges are sealed.
She urged any remaining individuals who participated in the incident to turn themselves in at the nearest police district.
“We have charged five and anticipate more,” she said.
Viral videos spark outrage
Footage of the fight quickly circulated on social media beginning Saturday morning. One video shows a man being repeatedly punched and kicked by multiple people. Another clip shows a woman falling to the ground after being violently struck, her head hitting the pavement. She appears to remain motionless afterward.
Unverified reports suggest that a third victim, a male, may also have been seriously injured. The conditions of the victims have not been officially confirmed.
Cincinnati Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) President Ken Kober told WLWT that the victims were hospitalized with “pretty serious injuries.”
“I mean, put a bunch of adults who can't behave themselves in public, give them alcohol, and this is the end result. There's no fear of consequences so they just go out and run amok and it's unfortunate,” he told the outlet.
Also Read: 'Aggravated assault': Elon Musk on viral Cincinnati 'white couple' video amid speculation
JD Vance reacts
Vice President JD Vance weighed in on the incident Monday, condemning the group violence.
“Take the thugs who engaged in that violence and throw their asses in prison,” he said. “You had a grown man who sucker punched a middle-aged woman. That person ought to go to jail for a very long time - and frankly, he's lucky there weren't some better people around because they would've handled it themselves.”
