CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Police Chief Theresa Theetge issued a statement Saturday evening saying she's in "complete disgust" due to a viral video involving a large brawl in downtown Cincinnati.
In a nearly 2 1/2 minute video shared on Facebook, dozens of people are seen in a fight in the street.
At one point, a man is chased into the street before he is kicked and stomped on by several others. That man is then eventually helped up by others before he collapses again in the street. When he's helped up a second time, the man has a bloody nose and visible scrapes on his face.
After the man leaves the frame of the video, another woman punches a second woman in the back of the head. After the woman who was punched backs away, a man punches her straight in the face, causing her to collapse to the ground. It appears the woman was knocked unconscious, and blood begins to pour from her mouth. A group of people then helps the woman as she wakes back up before the video ends.
You can watch the full video below (Viewer discretion is advised due to explicit language throughout the video):
In a statement, Theetge said the behavior shown in the videos is "nothing short of cruel and absolutely unacceptable."
"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," Theetge said. "Our investigative team is working diligently to identify every individual involved in causing harm."
Theetge said she also wanted to clarify that the alleged fight "was a sudden dispute between individuals following a verbal altercation."
"It was not connected in any way to the Music Fest," Theetge said, referring to the Cincinnati Music Festival, which is taking place downtown from Thursday through Saturday.
A spokesperson for the Cincinnati Police Department told us before Theetge's statement that they were not aware of the incident until the videos were posted.
Theetge is asking anyone with information regarding the incident to contact Crime Stoppers at 513-352-3042.
