5 charged after viral Cincinnati fight amid outcry from JD Vance, Elon Musk
A fight in downtown Cincinnati over the weekend resulted in five people facing charges, as well as outcry from local and federal officials after apparent videos from the incident circulated online.
Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge announced the charges against the five unidentified individuals during a news conference on Monday, July 28. Although only five people were charged, she said the fight involved "100 or so" individuals, adding that there were "well over 150,000 people" in the downtown area at the time for a Big3 basketball tournament, a Cincinnati Reds game and the Cincinnati Music Festival.
"This was a sudden dispute between individuals following a verbal altercation," Theetge said.
Alleged videos from the fight have been shared on social media, leading to criticism from politicians and media figures, including Vice President JD Vance, Vance's half-brother and mayoral candidate Cory Bowman and Elon Musk.
Here's what we know about the incident and the response from police.
Cory Bowman shares videos on Facebook
Bowman posted clips on his Facebook page that were allegedly from the fight.
In one of the videos, a group of people is seen striking a man until he falls to the ground as they continue to punch and kick him. Shortly after, another man is seen punching a woman in the face, causing her to fall to the ground, where she remained motionless until a person helped pick her back up.
"More violence from Friday night in downtown Cincinnati," Bowman wrote in a Facebook post on July 26. He also alleged that there was no "delegated dispatcher" on duty for the music festival at the time of the incident, which he wrote, "reinforces what we've known, that major problems exist in the (Emergency Communications Center) relating to crime in the city."
Police chief says response time was 'acceptable'
In response to criticisms of police response times, Theetge said that only one individual called the police. She added that the department received the initial call at 3:06 a.m., and the first officers arrived on the scene at 3:12 a.m.
"Based on body cam, that response time is completely acceptable," according to Theetge, who added that when officers arrived, "The majority of the participants were gone."
As of Tuesday, July 29, Theetge or police have not shared whether anyone was hospitalized due to the fight.
USA TODAY contacted Theetge and the police department on Tuesday, July 29, but did not receive an immediate response.
Elon Musk, JD Vance condemn the Cincinnati fight
While the fight is still being investigated, some political leaders have commented on videos of the alleged incident circulating online. Vance spoke about it on July 28 during a visit to Metallus, a steel manufacturer in Canton.
The vice president, who owns a home in Cincinnati, acknowledged he did not know the full story behind the video, but he said he watched it after Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno shared it with him. He added that the instigators of the incident were "lawless thugs."
"How many of you all have wanted to go to downtown Akron or downtown Canton or downtown Columbus for a meal, but you're worried because the local authorities in these big cities have allowed lawlessness to run wild? We have got to make great American cities safe again for families and children," Vance said.
Musk commented on the fight after reposting an alleged video of the incident, which another user shared on X. The Tesla CEO and SpaceX founder wrote underneath the video, "That guy almost killed this woman. Aggravated assault."
City officials speak out against violence
Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval spoke out against the violence that transpired in his city over the weekend, saying in a statement, "I am outraged by the vicious fight that occurred Downtown."
"It is horrifying to watch, and this unacceptable and disgusting behavior is intolerable in any part of our community," the Democratic mayor's statement continued.
Pureval added that he's been in "consistent communication" with Theetge.
"Our police have been working around the clock to investigate and bring perpetrators of violence to justice," he said.
Theetge also voiced her disapproval of the fight during the news conference on Monday, saying, "I am in complete disgust waking up to the viral video many of you have now seen."
"The behavior displayed is nothing short of cruel and absolutely unacceptable ... Our investigative team is working diligently to identify every individual involved in causing harm," she added.
Contributing: Aaron Valdez, David Ferrara & Cameron Knight/ Cincinnati Enquirer
Jonathan Limehouse covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at JLimehouse@gannett.com.
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