(WATCH) Tear Gas During Massive Brawl At High School Basketball Tournament (VIDEO)
Attempting to break up a massive brawl between spectators at a high school basketball tournament in Raleigh, North Carolina, a security guard released tear gas into the gymnasium.
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Bryan Hanks, a spokesperson for the tournament, said the fight broke out during a game between Farmville Central and Life Christian Academy of Kissimmee, Florida, on Wednesday night at Wake Tech Community College.
Security “had already been stretched thin” due to a fight that occurred during the game played before, according to Hanks’ statement. During the game played earlier, players from Southern California Academy and Moravian Prep got into a fight.
Following the start of the conflict, a security guard “sprayed tear gas to successfully break up the fight.” Officials then ordered everyone to evacuate the gym.
With the tear gas deployment creating “an unsafe situation for players in the Farmville Central and Life Christian game”, the tournament rescheduled the game for Thursday morning.
Several videos posted on social media captured the fight.
A video uploaded to Twitter by user Bryce Stueck shows a group of spectators can be seen slapping and punching one other along the sideline of the court. As the video progresses, the fighting becomes more intense, to the point that some individuals begin lifting chairs, using them to beat each other.
This is not good for the state of North Carolina in high school hoops at the John Wall invitational pic.twitter.com/c9hmBNUwYx
— bryce stueck (@bstueck12) December 30, 2021
Eventually, the security officer stepped in with the tear gas. However, several individuals continued fighting which prompted more tear gas to be deployed. At the end of the video, fans can be seen running away from the court.
Hanks said tournament officials expect a smaller attendance for the Thursday game and asserted that the security presence will be much higher.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for any updates.
