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A weekend flag football tournament in Arizona descended into chaos as roughly 100 players, parents and other spectators got involved in a wild fight — and the event’s organizer vowed to hold the brawlers accountable.
The melee erupted around 1 p.m. Sunday when 20 players between two youth flag football teams started to throw punches on the field, the Mesa Police Department said in a statement obtained by ABC News.
Police said that the fight escalated out of control when parents and others in the crowd started to join in.
One 15-year-old player who was involved in the violence told ABC 15 that he saw a fleet of 30 law enforcement vehicles from various agencies tear across a nearby soccer field while bystanders were leaving the sports complex.
“It was crazy. It was hard to get out. It took like ten, fifteen minutes just to get out of there,” he told the outlet.
Seventy officers in total responded to the scene, including 37 from the Mesa Police Department, 22 from the Gilbert Police Department, eight from the Queens Creek Police Department and three deputies with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, according to the statement.
The soccer fields were cleared within 45 minutes as officers cleared the irate players and parents away from the scene.
None of the youth players, parents or spectators reported any severe injuries, and no arrests were made, police said.
“We wish to thank all agencies that responded for their assistance in taking control of the situation swiftly and safely,” the Mesa Police Department said in the statement.
The Post reached out to the Mesa Police Department for more information.
The Red Zone Elite Tournaments, who organized the MLK Jamboree sports tournament that took place at the Arizona facility on Saturday and Sunday, assured that safety is the “top priority” and apologized in a statement on Instagram.
The organization claimed that the brawl stemmed from “four specific teams and a large crowd of other players, coaches and parents” who were “antagonizing” each other. It asserted that everyone involved in the fight “will face consequences as we see fit,” including a possible lifetime ban from all tournaments it hosts.
“We apologize for the disappointment in the abrupt end to our tournament this afternoon, but we stand behind the Mesa Police Departments decision in response to the situation — to ensure the safety of everyone at the fields. Providing friendly, respectful and safe competition is our mission and we do not support violence, bullying or harassment in any way,” Red Zone Elite Tournaments wrote.
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