A wild brawl broke out Sunday at Miami International Airport over the last seats left on a flight, and it was captured on video that went viral this week.
Documentary film director Billy Corben, known for ESPN’s “30 for 30” series, shared footage of the fight on Twitter in which two different groups can be seen punching and kicking each other at gate D-14.
According to one witness, seven people were involved in the fight, Local 10 News reported. Officials at the airport said law enforcement immediately responded to the incident.
“The victim did not want to press any charges. However, one person was arrested for disorderly conduct,” Miami-Dade police told the Miami Herald in an email. “The victim was treated by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue for minor injuries and released on the scene.”
Earlier this year, Miami Beach implemented a curfew, with Mayor Dan Gelber saying “too many people” were visiting the city, straining local law enforcement.
Fox News reported that in March as the city was filled with Spring Break partiers, a state of emergency was declared in the city and an 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew was initiated after crowds trashed restaurants, fought in the streets and gathered in large groups without obeying CDC guidelines on COVID-19, ditching masks and social distancing, authorities said.
“I just feel like it’s really not fair,” tourist Heather Price told NBC 6 at the time. “People paid a lot of money to come all the way out here, just to not be able to do the activities they wanted to.”
The Associated Press reported that local officials also banned alcohol from the beach and all alcohol sales after 10 p.m. In a further effort to curb partying, officials sent text messages to tourists warning, “Vacation Responsibly or Be Arrested.”
“Spring break in Miami Beach may be one of the great rites of passage, but only if you plan on following the rules. Otherwise, you might as well just stay home and save yourself the court costs,” the message stated.
On video showing a massive fight in Miami last month was posted on Twitter with the caption, “Miami Spring Break fight. Gets crazy at the .50 second mark.”
Another user tweeted a Miami fight in 2019, saying at the time, “I see spring break in Miami went well. Loads more like this if you search ‘Miami Fight,'” along with video of several people fighting on the street.
On April 6, Miami lifted its curfew, and according to Fox News, over half of the arrests made during Spring Break partying involved individuals from out of state.
