At Grizzlies-Lakers Game 2, a fight in FedExForum crowd went viral. Here's what happened
The intensity of the Memphis Grizzlies’ first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers spilled into the stands Wednesday night.
A video of a fight between two fans inside FedExForum's plaza level during Game 2 went viral Saturday morning, a few hours before the Grizzlies and Lakers played in Los Angeles (9 p.m. CT, ESPN).
The violent altercation, which was posted on social media by Twitter user @PillDoctoRx and later shared through the popular @TheNBACentral account, featured a man wearing a black Los Angeles Dodgers hat repeatedly punching and shoving another man in a throwback Mike Bibby Grizzlies jersey for nearly 20 seconds before the fight was broken up by a nearby fan.
The fight appeared to happen while the game was taking place on the court, although the exact timing can't be determined from the video.
According to an incident report provided by the Memphis Police Department, an officer on detail Wednesday night at FedExForum responded to a simple assault call in Section 105, Row N. The report mentioned three victims — two men and one woman — but did not identify them by name. Victims No. 1 and No. 2 (boyfriend and girlfriend) were seated in seats 7 and 8 when victim No. 3, seated in seat 9, and victim No. 2 began arguing.
Victim No. 3 alleged to police he was sitting next to the couple when victim No. 2 started hitting him. In addition, victim No. 3 said victim No. 2 got mad at him for an unknown reason and started hitting him. He then hit victim No. 2 back and they both started fighting.
Victim No. 2 had scratches on his face and neck, according to the report, but told police he did not need medical attention. Victims No. 1 and No. 3 also did not require medical attention. No charges were filed, but all three people were barred from FedExForum, according to the report.
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A source with direct knowledge of the situation, who spoke to The Commercial Appeal on condition of anonymity Saturday, said that there was an initial verbal altercation between the man wearing the Dodgers hat and the man wearing the Grizzlies jersey preceding the physical altercation captured on video. Both were temporarily removed from their section and warned about their behavior before returning to their seats.
In addition, Victim No. 3 also advised to police that the couple had been arguing and security had to intervene before the viral altercation, according to the incident report.
The source said once the viral altercation occurred, both fans were ejected from FedExForum.
The Commercial Appeal has chosen not to share the video with this story since no charges were filed in relation to the incident. Footage of the fight had been viewed more than 1.5 million times in less than three hours on Twitter.
Memphis beat the Lakers, 103-93, in Game 2 to even their series and guarantee at least one more home game at FedExForum Wednesday for Game 5.
You can reach Commercial Appeal columnist Mark Giannotto via email at mgiannotto@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter: @mgiannotto
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: FedExForum fight at Grizzlies-Lakers Game 2 went viral. What happened?
