There was a big crowd, a big brawl, and a big broken ego during a slugfest on the sand that started with bets made on the street in Fort Lauderdale Beach.
Joshua Pettus, who lives in the area, said he was walking when he noticed a guy who was approaching people along the seawall.
“He was asking if they wanted to take a bet and then he told them how to place the bet on crypto,” Pettus said.
A large crowd gathered. Pettus said he didn’t realize what was going on until he saw two men wearing boxing gloves.
The fight lasted for about 30 minutes.
“As soon as somebody hit the ground, there was kids stomping the guy that hit the ground ... That’s not safe,” Pettus said.
Near Las Olas, Jeremy Pettus said he heard “ a loud commotion,” so he walked out to investigate and he saw a similar situation.
“They were screaming and shouting and trying to beat each other down, and their friends were egging them on,” Jeremy Pettus said.
Police officers responded. Jeremy Pettus had a message for the tourists in the area during spring break: “Respect the residents, obey our laws, and we will welcome you back, but this fighting, the violence, the speeding along Las Olas and our other streets -- It has to stop!”
“Fort Lauderdale Police witnessed and broke up two incidents on the beach and the crowd complied both times without further issues. There have been no reported or confirmed cases of betting. This type of behavior will not be tolerated.
Christine Portela, a spokeswoman for the city of Fort Lauderdale released a statement on Friday night saying police officers were out along the beach “in full force.”
“We encourage anyone who witnesses a disturbance to call 911,” Portela said.