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Police Investigating Gunshots Fired on Video During Brawl at RIZE FC MMA Event

Tim Daniels@TimDanielsBRFeatured ColumnistMarch 23, 2021

Police vehicles are behind police tape after an explosion at a shopping plaza on Saturday, July 6, 2019, in Plantation, Fla.  Several people were injured after a vacant pizza restaurant exploded in the South Florida shopping plaza Saturday, according to police.  The restaurant was destroyed, and nearby businesses were damaged. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office launched an investigation into a brawl Saturday that led to gunfire during a RIZE Fighting Championship MMA event in Florida.

TMZ Sports reported Tuesday police said at least two shots were fired into the air by an individual apparently hoping to gain control of the crowd, which had erupted into a large fight in the stands.

Video obtained by TMZ showed people fighting in the balcony above where the shots were fired, but nobody was hit by the bullets.

Former UFC fighter Hector Lombard was in attendance for the show and posted video of the chaos on Instagram.

"This guy just shot his handgun in the middle of a melee at an amateur show," Lombard wrote. "Shameful and pathetic cowardly behavior ruined a great night of fights. We went undefeated great job to our champions."

Multiple people were treated for injuries from the fight by paramedics called to the scene at the Bamboo Room in Lake Worth, Florida. No arrests have been made, but investigators are working to identify who fired the shots, per TMZ.

The RIZE card was headlined by a bantamweight title fight between Alexis Fernandez and Filipe Valentim.