An amateur fight night at Trotter Convention Center was shut down early Saturday after fisticuffs weren’t contained to the ring.
Two Columbus residents face misdemeanor charges for allegedly starting a brawl in the stands involving six spectators at the Possum Town Throwdown. The fight ultimately led to Mayor Keith Gaskin shutting down the event before it concluded.
Maggie Conn, 19, was charged with disorderly conduct, while Hunter Holman, 24, was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, Columbus Police Chief Joseph Daughtry told The Dispatch.
Several officers responded to the melee that broke out about 7 p.m. Daughtry said the officers took six suspects outside and determined that two of them had been responsible for the fight, letting four others involved go.
“Certain people came there, and it just got out of hand,” Daughtry said. “We have to ensure the safety of not only the people that are there, but the people that are downtown. There are just certain things we just are not going to tolerate in the city.”
Holman was taken to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle for minor injuries sustained during the extracurricular fight, then booked in Lowndes County Adult Detention Center. Both Holman and Conn were released Sunday morning. No court date has been set, and further processing of the charges will take place Monday, Daughtry said.
Daughtry said CPD is reviewing footage from the fight and could possibly make other arrests soon, but no warrants have been issued at this time.
“Throwdown” organizer Chris Paccasassi told The Dispatch the event continued briefly after Trotter director Rogena Bonner gave her approval. Gaskin then shut it down at about 8 p.m.
Gaskin told The Dispatch the decision to shut it down came after a short deliberation among him, police officers still present and event organizers. He said the altercation violated the contract for using the facility, which dictates any violence taking place at the event would give the city authority to shut it down.
“We were looking at it as the possibility of something else like that breaking out again,” Gaskin said of his decision. “(The Trotter) is not a safe environment inside there. When something like that happens, somebody could easily get hurt or killed and then we’d be in a totally different conversation.”
Paccasassi said there were about 700 people in attendance and the city overreacted by shutting it down, stating that the altercation was resolved “within 30 seconds.”
“It was addressed very quickly,” he said. “The people were actually exited out of the building in less than a minute. I had plenty of security. That’s what happened. So the city turns around and tells me that because an altercation broke out that they had to shut down the event.”
Paccasassi added no refunds will be given to those in attendance Saturday night.
“I can’t do that because of the fact that it costs many thousands of dollars to do a show like this, and you do it based on ticket sales,” he said. “… It’s not like I shut the show down. The show got shut down.”
Some event goers took to Facebook to complain about the shutdown. One poster called Gaskin a “b*tch,” which led Gaskin to challenge him to “say that to my face” at City Hall on Monday. Gaskin then continued a back-and-forth with detractors of his decision for several posts.
In an interview with The Dispatch Sunday morning, Gaskin said he was upset by the ordeal after receiving the backlash Saturday evening.
“I’m not in a very good mood,” he said. “I don’t like people calling me ‘b*tch,’ and all this kind of stuff on social media (from people) who don’t have all the facts. I was not in a good mood when I went in there last night (Saturday), and I’m still not in a good mood about it.”
On Monday the poster who insulted Gaskin and another gentleman met with the mayor at City Hall, a meeting the poster videoed through Facebook Live. During the meeting, Gaskin apologized for the way he engaged with them on social media Saturday night.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
Join the Discussion