Police Stunned as Alcohol-Fueled Rap Concert Turns into Brawl

Considering how the peaceful rap community is all about hope, change and rocking the vote, imagine the surprise from police as a full-scale brawl broke out Sunday in Galveston.

Galveston police and city officials were conferring this morning to review what went wrong when a weekend beach rap concert ended in multiple fights, leaving police "completely overwhelmed" to gain control.

Uh, what went wrong? Hello? Here's a clue: Allowing the event to take place, maybe?

At least 12 people were arrested Sunday afternoon on East Beach — the only beach where alcoholic beverages are allowed — during an afternoon rap concert sponsored by Houston radio station Party 93.3. It took officers about four hours to get as many as 5,000 cars off the beach following the concert.

The problem began when police tried arresting a group of men fighting. Other fights then broke out and the officers patrolling the concert were "completely overwhelmed," Trevino said.

Trevino earlier had said there were four officers working security as an extra job at the concert. Today, he said there were at least eight, if not a dozen officers, working at the concert.

All on-duty officers and some whose shifts had not begun were eventually called to the scene, police Sgt. Byron Franklin said. Authorities shut down four city streets while trying to get as many as 5,000 cars off East Beach, he said.

Almost four hours passed before police cleared the streets.

Galveston Police Chief Kenneth Mack said he was out of state on Sunday and was trying to get up to speed on Sunday's events.

"It was an absolute fiasco," said Johnny Smecca, owner of Mario's Italian Restaurant.

Smecca said he saw people urinating in the alley behind his restaurant and dancing on top of cars.

More here.