Cincinnati brawl timeline: Brutal assault spirals into national firestorm
Stomach-turning footage of the viral brawl that broke out in downtown Cincinnati in late July has ignited public outrage as community leaders and members demand answers about the event that left six civilians injured.
The brutal beatdown gained traction online as the video of several victims being thrown to the ground and assaulted shocked the nation, forcing local leaders to answer for the unnecessary violence in a series of events that continue to play out on the national stage.
Bystander footage captures the moment a large group turns on several individuals at around 3 a.m. on the corner of Fourth and Elm streets in downtown Cincinnati’s business district. In a video obtained by Fox News Digital, an unidentified man can be heard yelling racial slurs while being beaten in the street, with some claiming the male victim slapped the perpetrator prior to the fight breaking out.
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Another angle shows a woman, later identified as "Holly," attempting to break up the fight before she is also slammed to the ground and knocked unconscious.
Minutes after the fight ended, a lone 911 caller rang authorities to report the brawl.
"At this point, everybody's running out, so it was before, about 20, 30 people, but everybody's out," the caller said.
Throughout the three-minute, 15-second phone call, the 911 operator can be heard asking several times how many people were involved in the fight and whether police were needed at the scene.
"So you keep saying they left, do you need police to respond out?" the dispatcher asked toward the end of the call.
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"I would prefer, yes," the man said. "I would prefer, yes. Absolutely."
Cincinnati Chief of Police Teresa Theetge announced in a press conference that the department is investigating the incident.
"The behavior displayed is nothing short of cruel and absolutely unacceptable," Theetge said in a statement. "Our investigative team is working diligently to identify every individual involved in causing harm. It’s also important to clarify: this was a sudden dispute between individuals following a verbal altercation."
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As the video began to gain traction online, government leaders spoke out to voice their concerns regarding the actions in the footage.
"I was born and raised in Cincinnati, and it’s sad to see this kind of heinous violence on the streets," Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy told Fox News Digital. "It’s a shame that Democrats in our state remain silent when so many of their constituents are suffering from their lax-on-crime policies. We’re going to bring law and order back to cities across Ohio on my watch. It’s time for a new generation to lead with a spine."
Theetge revealed during a press conference that, of the approximately 100 individuals present on the street corner at the time of the fight, only one person called 911.
"That is unacceptable to not call the police," Theetge said. "Traffic was horrendous. People saw this. They were fighting in front of traffic. Why didn't people call us?"
The police chief also revealed that authorities would be charging five individuals for their involvement in the brawl, with police sources telling Fox News Digital that four of the suspects had already been identified.
Vice President JD Vance also voiced his feelings about the attack, adding that while he doesn't have all the context, he saw "a mob of lawless thugs beating up an innocent person."
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"It’s disgusting. I hope every single one of those people who engaged in violence is prosecuted to the full extent of the law," Vance said. "You had a grown man who sucker punched a middle-aged woman and where I come from, at least, when you have a grown man sucker punching a middle-aged woman that person ought to go to jail for a very long time. And frankly, he is lucky there weren’t some better people around because they would handle it themselves."
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine weighed in on the fight, calling the footage "shocking."
"The footage of the weekend incident in Cincinnati is shocking," he said. "I support local authorities bringing the violent offenders to justice and taking measures so that their cities are safe for all to live, work, and enjoy."
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Authorities announced the arrests of Montianez Merriweather, 34, and DeKyra Vernon, 24, for their alleged roles in the brutal beating.
Both Vernon and Merriweather face felonious assault, aggravated riot and assault charges.
Jermaine Matthews, 39, is taken into custody in connection with the attack, and is initially charged with aggravated riot and assault.
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All three defendants appeared in a Hamilton County courtroom for bond hearings, with a judge ordering Matthews to be held on a $500,000 bond, Matthews on a $100,000 bond; and Vernon on a $200,000 bond.
During the hearing, detectives alleged Matthews and Merriweather were seen chasing victims as they attempted to flee, before forcing the victims to the ground and assaulting them in what authorities called an "ambush" attack.
"Mr. Merriweather goes after another gentleman behind another car and then he walks off to the side and goes to the sidewalk," the detective said. "So as to Mr. Merriweather's involvement in this, we believe that he coordinated this with Mr. Matthews. He walked up to him on a video, whispered something to him, and then strategically placed himself behind the victim."
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The FBI also confirmed to Fox News Digital that it was involved in the investigation into the attack.
"The FBI has been and will continue closely coordinating with the Cincinnati Police Department on this matter," the FBI told Fox News Digital.
That same day, Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, shared a photo of one of the victims in the attack, showing a woman with several injuries to her face – including a black eye and busted lip.
"Holly gave me permission to release the photos so that others will never suffer what she did," he wrote on social media.
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Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval reportedly responded to criticism surrounding his choice to leave for a family vacation with his 5-year-old son the same day news broke about the brutal brawl.
"This was a long-planned family trip and celebration for my son," the mayor told The Enquirer. "I take my role as mayor very seriously, but I also take my role as a husband and father seriously as well."
Pureval reportedly pointed to his son starting kindergarten soon and city council sessions resuming the following week as his rationale for taking the trip. However, the mayor planned to cut his vacation short by four days by flying back to Cincinnati on Thursday, The Enquirer reported.
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Moreno also appeared on "Fox and Friends" to blast the mayor and city leaders for their handling of the events, calling the attack a "heinous situation."
"Cincinnati is an amazing city, made by great people over decades, centuries actually. It’s one of the shiny jewels of Ohio, and these idiotic political leaders that the citizens allow to have office need to go," Moreno said.
Moreno announced he is planning to request an audit of Cincinnati’s funding from the federal government.
Fox News Digital also obtained the lone 911 call that was placed after the brawl had ended, with a man calling authorities shortly after 3 a.m. to report the fight.
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"At this point, everybody's running out, so it was before, about 20, 30 people, but everybody's out," the caller said on the three-minute phone call.
Matthews later returned to court to face two new counts of felonious assault and one count of misdemeanor assault. He was then released after a judge set his bond at $270,000, FOX 19 reported.
Authorities arrested a fourth suspect, 37-year-old Dominique Kittle, for his alleged involvement in the attack. Kittle is charged with felony assault, aggravated riot and two counts of assault, according to the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office.
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In a fiery press conference Friday afternoon, Theetge scolded the community over the fact that out of the approximately 100 witnesses, only one person called the police.
"That is unacceptable to not call the police," Theetge said. "Traffic was horrendous. People saw this. They were fighting in front of traffic. Why didn't people call us?"
Pureval also weighed in on the developments.
"Let me be clear, there is no place for violent crime in Cincinnati, whether it's fight or gun violence, we will pursue those responsible and we will hold them accountable no matter who they are, period," Pureval said the press conference.
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The FBI and Justice Department also confirmed a federal investigation had been launched in response to the beatdown.
Fox News Digital obtained new footage showing the moments leading up to the brawl. The video, shot by bystander Jay Black, depicts a man using racial slurs toward the group before being knocked to the ground.
"I saw a little ruckus going on, saw people kind of scuffling, so kind of zoomed in, and once my phone kind of focused in, I saw the so-called victims being pretty aggressive toward the group of people that were already standing out there," Black told Fox News Digital.
Black added that he watched someone get knocked to the ground, before getting up and start fighting again.
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"Once he got up, you know people were kind of backing off of him, but he was kind of still going at people, you know, and using racial slurs," Black said.
He told Fox News Digital that "contrary to what people think," there were actually "a lot of people" trying to break up the fight.
A fifth suspect, Patrick Rosemond, 38, was taken into custody Monday afternoon by the FBI and Atlanta Metropolitan Major Offender’s Task Force in Fulton County, Georgia. He is charged with two counts of felonious assault and aggravated riot, according to the Cincinnati Police Department.
He is also charged with one count of fugitive from justice for a fingerprintable charge, according to the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office.
He is currently being held in the Fulton County Jail while awaiting extradition to Ohio, police said. Rosemond is a Cincinnati resident and does not have any registered addresses in Georgia, according to records obtained by Fox News Digital.
A grand jury is scheduled to convene on July 8 for the charges filed against Kittle, Vernon, Matthews and Merriweather.
Fox News' Peter D'Abrosca, CB Cotton, Sarah Rumpf-Whitten and Adam Sabes contributed to this report.