Chief: Bystanders Took Video of Fight Instead of Calling 911

Five people have been charged in a bloody, late-night brawl in downtown Cincinnati over the weekend that involved dozens of people. A video shows a crowd milling about before several people start throwing punches. One man falls to the ground and is repeatedly punched and kicked by bystanders. A woman is punched in the face and falls to the ground, lying motionless until another woman helps her. She can be seen bleeding from the mouth, the AP reports. Mayor Aftab Pureval said in a statement that he was outraged by the fight. "It is horrifying to watch, and this is unacceptable and disgusting behavior is intolerable in any part of our community," he said. More:

• Lack of transparency: The city has released little information about the brawl other than to say it was not related to a Reds game, a basketball tournament, or a jazz festival that attracted over 150,000 people to the city. It said only two of the five people charged in the brawl had been arrested as of Tuesday.
• Chief's threats: Police Chief Teresa Theetge said more people would be charged, warning that anyone who "put their hands on another individual during this incident in an attempt to cause harm will face consequences." She also suggested some bar owners may be culpable for over-serving participants in the confrontation, which occurred about 3am Saturday. Theetge appeared on the defensive during the news conference, complaining the brawl was getting all the attention and "undoing all the good stuff that happened this weekend."
• A single call: Theetge also complained that bystanders took many videos but only one person called 911. Police arrived after the fight was over, about six minutes after the call. "For us to get one phone call about this incident is unacceptable in this city," she said.

• Political responses: The video of the brawl quickly turned political. Vice President JD Vance's half brother Cory Bowman, who is running to be Cincinnati's mayor, flagged the fight on social media on Saturday and blamed city leaders for creating an unsafe environment. "For many, these images sparked shock and disbelief," he said in a statement. "For residents within our city limits, they serve as a stark reminder of the ongoing crime and lawlessness we've had to endure this summer."
• Musk joins outcry: The videos also became a flashpoint among conservatives online, despite a lack of available details about the incident. Political influencers pointed to it as an example of apparent Black-on-white violence and criticized media coverage of the fight. "Why zero stories?" billionaire X owner Elon Musk wrote on his social platform on Sunday. Grok, Musk's AI chatbot, fanned the flames, claiming in an X post the same day that the "media blackout" of the story was "telling."