By Zack Schiavetta
Additional reporting by Stephen DiFiore
Some details are have come out about the brawl that took place on Saturday, March 2 in the Stood, according to eyewitness accounts which also call into question the number of people involved in the brawl.
Details about the cause of the fight are still unknown at this time aside from unconfirmed rumors. But theater major Jose Velasquez said that the fight took place at the end of Sextacy, when multiple students began fighting on the raised platform inside the Stood. He noticed that people were leaving at an unusual rate.
As he and his friends were about to leave, they witnessed a huge exodus of people.
“At first you notice people leaving, and I’m like, ‘This is weird,’ ” then Velasquez, before leaving the Stood, looked to the raised middle platform and saw the explanation behind this odd sight.
“Then all of a sudden,” Velasquez said, “you hear commotion, and then like people swinging on top of people.”
A similar description of the event was provided by sociology major Passion Greene. Greene and her friends were playing the arcade games by the platform. “Everyone started rushing on top of the mid-stage, and I just saw somebody get pushed down onto the couch,” Greene said. “And I saw fists fly.”
Initially she thought it was only between two people, until she looked over at the mid-stage and saw someone else getting hurt.
According to Velasquez, UPD was called, allegedly apprehensively by the Stood employees who were trying to end the fight. “Get the [expletive deleted] off of him,” yelled one Stood employee.
UPD involvement escalated as well. “First it was one car, then one car turned to three real quick,” said Velasquez.
Greene said the police cars pulled up to the front of the Stood, and two on the sides.
A statement by the Stood said that over 50 people were involved in the brawl. Velasquez questioned that number but did not rule out the possibility.
“If 50 people go assaulted, that’s really crazy,” Velasquez said, “But to me it didn’t look like that.”
“If 50 got hit then that’s wrong, I’m sorry,” he said.
Velasquez said that around 20 students of the students present were watching but not fighting.
Greene said that it was a big group that was on that stage. “Most of them were on the stairs trying to pull people out.” Greene said. At most 20 people would have been hurt by Greene’s estimation.
As of the morning of March 6, UPD was unwilling to comment due to the matter still being under investigation.
Stood staff will discuss the matter in more depth at a town hall on March 5, tonight, at 8:30 p.m.