Police confirm people were injured, property damaged at Orchard Park Country Club
Seven different police agencies were called to help break up a brawl
that broke out at a country club wedding reception Saturday night that
had family members screaming that they hated each other hours after
witnessing a couple exchange their marriage vows.
“Things were said that can never be taken back,” said a shocked witness who watched the fight unfold.
A
manager at the Orchard Park Country Club repeatedly denied Sunday
afternoon that any incident had occurred, despite confirmed reports by
Orchard Park police, witnesses at the event, and bystanders who saw town
and state police cars in front of the building.
The fights took
place at the end of an otherwise beautiful wedding and reception held at
the Country Club for a couple who live in the town. A witness who
worked at the event but asked not to be identified said roughly 200
guests attended, and the fracas unfolded after the official reception
ended at 11 p.m.
“I’m telling you, there was blood everywhere,” he
said. “There was holes punched in the walls. Words couldn’t describe
it. Just when you thought it was over, another fight started.”
Lt.
Patrick Fitzgerald, who was shift commander Saturday night, confirmed
the witness’ statements and said that the later brawl followed a more
minor incident earlier in the evening. Police were called at 10:18 p.m.
regarding a member of the wedding party who was accused of touching a
woman inappropriately and wound up getting punched in the face.
The aggressor was escorted off the premises, Fitzgerald said.
It
wasn’t until the reception was over and people were preparing to leave,
however, that a fight ensued that ultimately engulfed dozens of family
members and other guests.
Orchard Park police reported that shortly after 11 p.m., police received multiple 911 calls regarding a large fight at the club.
When
they responded, officers encountered “a large crowd inside and outside
of the venue where the fighting was still ongoing.” Damage was reported
throughout the building.
Because of the large scale nature of the
brawl, Fitzgerald said, additional police assistance was requested, and
officers from the Town of Hamburg, Town of West Seneca, Village of East
Aurora, Town of Cheektowaga, Erie County Sheriff’s Office and State
Police responded and assisted the Orchard Park police in breaking up the
fights, treating the injured and removing people from the club.
The
Orchard Park Fire Company and Orchard Park EMS also responded and
treated several people. A 39-year-old man, whose name was not released,
suffered a head injury and was taken to Erie County Medical Center. All
others refused further medical assistance.
A manager at the
Orchard Park Country Club, who declined to give his name, said Sunday
afternoon that no incident of any kind occurred the night before and
that no police were called. He also said he was upset that The Buffalo
News was reporting unsubstantiated claims.
When informed that the
police directly provided the information and that the report indicated
damage to the club, the manager responded that he had no idea why the
police would state such a thing.
“Look around,” he said. “Does it look like there was any damage?”
The
club’s main lounge and dining areas showed no signs of any altercation.
Chairs, tables, pillows and lounge furniture stood neatly and
attractively arranged inside the single-story main building.
But
the wedding reception was held in a side banquet room that was not
viewed Sunday. Fitzgerald said damage included holes in walls, blood,
broken crystal bowls and glasses and damage to property in the main
banquet area, hallways and basement.
“For them to say nothing happened is 100 percent wrong,” he said.
What
started out as a single fight wound up becoming multiple fights laced
with screaming and profanity that engulfed dozens of people as more
people jumped in to intercede and wound up being sucked into the fray.
A
witness at the reception said employees at the club appeared helpless
to keep the fighting among guests and bridal party members from
escalating.
The bride was hustled outside to a back patio to
shield her from the scene while the bridegroom remained inside,
desperately yelling at everyone to leave, the witness said.
“No one was safe,” he said.
The
main banquet manager, who had left the event shortly after the first
dance, which is customary, returned to the scene after the police
arrived and angrily demanded to know why she hadn’t been contacted right
away. Fitzgerald said the general manager and his wife also showed up
later that night to confer with police and find out what happened.
The
witness also said he was shocked that he didn’t see police inside the
banquet room until about half an hour after the fighting started.
Fitzgerald
said police responded much sooner than that but initially focused their
attention on a guest with a head injury who was in the basement and
ultimately taken to Erie County Medical Center for treatment. The
victim’s name was not released, but Fitzgerald said the injury did not
appear to be severe.
Despite interviews with staff, police were
unable to identify exactly who or what caused the fights, Fitzgerald
said. No one was arrested, though Fitzgerald said police have offered to
work with the general manager and review surveillance tapes to
determine who might be held responsible for starting the fights.
He
added that much of the physical fighting was quelled within the first
15 minutes of officers’ arrival, though verbal exchanges among
intoxicated guests continued as police tried to usher people home. No
names have yet been released regarding the incident.
“There were
intoxicated individuals who were not helping us at all and had to be
sent along with a sober individual,” Fitzgerald said.
Not unlike a
Buffalo Bills game, he added, after reflecting on the other trouble
makers the Orchard Park Police were busy dealing with Sunday.
“They were just a little better dressed, I guess,” he said.
