ATLANTA — Multiple people are recovering after they got caught in the middle of a bloody bar fight.
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Several people were hurt in an alleged racially charged brawl inside the Ideal Sports Bar in southeast Atlanta.
“I think they wanted to kill. They didn’t want to fight,” said one band member, who asked his name not be used for the report.
Witnesses at the scene told Channel 2′s Audrey Washington that band members playing at the time started making politically charged statements.
They said a man then began heckling and intimidating the band members and their friends.
Bar management told Washington the band members made derogatory statements about white people.
But several witnesses said the man hurled a racial slur at the Black band members.
“Once the N-word was thrown out, I knew it was going to be pretty bad,” said one band member.
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Witnesses said a fight ensued.
A video given to Washington showed people punching and shoving each other. At one point in the video, a man is seen beating a woman with a pool stick.
“I watched multiple people being beaten,” one witness said.
“I didn’t expect it to get as serious as it did. I didn’t expect that much violence,” added the band member.
One woman told Washington a man punched her in the eye.
After the fight finally broke up, several people were left injured. One woman was rushed to the hospital.
“She had to get eight stitches in the back of her head,” one witness said.
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Atlanta police told Washington they are still investigating. There is no word on any charges.
In a statement on social media, the owners of the bar apologized for the incident and wrote that they “have never tolerated a space for bigotry, white supremacy or violence.”
The bar owners were not available to speak when Washington went to the bar on Tuesday, but she spoke with the bar manager.
“We’re not like that. You come on Thursday night and there’s a ton of different color people there,” said the bar manager, who asked only her first name, Beth, be used for the report.
Beth said the whole situation was blown out of proportion.
“But because there was one racial, allegedly slur, then they take it to a whole new level,” said Beth.
The band members said they want the man, who they believe incited the fight, found, and charged. Bar owners said they’ve banned everyone involved in the fight from the bar.
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