Five people have been charged with a battle that happened in the center of Cincinnati early on Saturday morning, said Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Tatezh on Monday.
Theeetzh did not release the names of the accused and said he expected more people to be charged.
Numerous videos of the Cincinnati battle have spread to social media over the weekend, provoking fears of the safety of a city, which has made a recent impetus to reduce crime in its urban core.
Signal 99, a Facebook page, which calls itself a “spicy page for a MEM for cops, firefighters, medics and dispatchers,” said the video in the morning on July 26th. He continued to acquire grip on multiple platforms, including the mayoral candidate and JD Vance’s half, and they were also shared. Elon Musk and Harmeet Dhilon, Assistant Prosecutor General of the Department of Civil Rights of the Ministry of Justice, also weighs.
Seen in one of the videos is a group of people who hit one person until he falls to the ground as they continue to hit and kick him. Shortly after another man is seen to hit a woman in the face who makes her fall to the ground, where he remained stationary until a man helped her take back.
Here’s all we know about the battle in the center of Cincinnati:
When and where did the match happen?
Early Facebook publications claimed that the match took place at the corner of the streets of the Fourth and Elm in the evening of Friday, July 25th. In another video posted on Facebook by Marvin with Bennett, love in the fourth nightclub can be seen in the background.
Cincinnati police confirmed the location of the match and said it happened in the early hours of Saturday, July 26th.
Tatezh said that despite the many videos shared on social media, only one person called the police. She said they received the first call at 3:06
“Based on the body chamber, this reaction time is perfectly acceptable,” given traffic congestion at that time. After the police arrived, the match was over. “The bigger part of the participants is gone, she said.
How did employees respond to the videos?
Police chief Teresa Tatezh issued a statement on July 26: “In complete disgust, I wake up to the viral video that many of you have seen.
She also said that the match was not related to the Cincinnati Music Festival, which was held from Thursday to Saturday.
“It was a sudden dispute between persons after a verbal fight,” Tatej added. The “verbal dispute” can be seen at the beginning of one of the videos shared on Facebook.
The situation is still in the process of investigating and Theetzh asks everyone with information about the incident to call Crimestoppers at 513-352-3040.
More: Cincinnati City, law enforcement leaders respond to Downtown Fight video
Cincinnati Mark Mark Jeffreys has answered his Facebook page, describing the video of the battle as “incredibly disturbing and horrifying,” as well as “downright inhuman”. He added that he had talked to other city officials and police to work on “finding responsible persons and arresting them urgently.”
“This behavior cannot withstand and will not represent our city,” Jeffrese said. “Responsible must be liable and persecuted to the largest extent by law.”
Mayor Aftab Pureval calls it “disgusting behavior”
On Monday, Pureval issued a statement stating he was “outraged by the vicious battle.”
He said he was convinced that arrests were forthcoming.
“For this reason, we make every effort to allow our employees to do their jobs and to present official results to the public instead of engaging in early speculation,” he writes.
“It’s horrifying to look at this unacceptable and disgusting behavior is intolerable in every part of our community,” he writes. “We are not who we are like a city.”
JD VANCE says the video shows “lawless thugs”
During a visit to Canton, Vice President JD Vance commented on the video, saying, “What I saw was a crowd of iniquity thugs defeated an innocent man.”
He added that he did not know the context or how the battle began, but said that people should not worry about the violence of the streets when they bring their families for dinner.
“And the only way to destroy this street violence is to take the thugs involved in this violence and to throw their asses in prison,” Vance said.
President of the Police Union: Several suspects in viral feud identified
Cincinnati Police President Ken Coober said earlier on Monday that investigators had identified four to five suspects, who are thought to have been involved in the match. He said the police continued to sort tips to identify additional suspects.
Coober said the police responded to the scene, but he had no other information to share about the answer.
“It was nothing more than a savage attack,” Coober said. “There is no room in society for what we saw.”
A group of residents of the Center to hold a public safety meeting
The Council of the Center’s residents has scheduled a public safety meeting on 18:00 Tuesday, July 29, in the main branch of the Cincinnati Public Library, according to their website.
The meeting was scheduled before the recent struggle in response to “months of increasing concern by our residents and stakeholders about public safety in the central business area,” said Andrew Naab, chairman of the Council, in an email to Enquirer.
City manager Sheril Long, Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa, and 3CDC President and CEO Steve Lepper is expected to attend the meeting as participants, Naab added.
“The attack made over the weekend was brutal and deeply disturbing,” Naab said. “Violence from this nature has no place in our city, especially not in the heart of our center, where residents, visitors and business deserve to feel safe at any time.”
Were there any hospitalizations?
There are no details whether anyone has been hospitalized on Monday night.
Was there an increase in crime in Cincinnati?
According to police in Cincinnati, published on July 21, the central business district and the river banks in the city center have observed a 25% increase in crime with violence compared to last year.
Data shows that there are 21 aggravated attacks between January 1 and July 21 this year, compared to 16 during the same period in 2024.
Property crime has also increased by about 57% a year.
During a press conference earlier this summer, urban leaders admitted that there was an “unacceptable increase in crime”, as well as some concerns about crime among the residents of Cincinnati, especially in the neighborhoods of the city nucleus.
Due to the top, Theetge launches a series of initiatives aimed at limiting crime, including a roving work group and more visible patrols. It provides updates on crime statistics in press conferences almost every week.
What we don’t know
It is not known who are the participants and why they were collected in a large group. Police have not said how much they have been injured or the extent of their injuries.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Fight on the Fourth and Elm: What to Know About Videos with Brawl