TEMPE, AZ (CBS5) -
A brawl blew up at a Tempe Apartment complex. But it wasn't your ordinary rumble. Tempe police said it was a fight club.
Tempe police Sgt. Michael Pooley said it's not something officers are seeing every weekend, however, police have responded to several of the staged fights over the past couple years. Police said the last one happened at the start of the fall semester.
A young man standing on a balcony captured video from above the pool at a Tempe apartment complex formally known as The Vue. Hundreds of students stood elbow to elbow cheering on the fight. What started off as a couple of guys going at it quickly turned into nearly a dozen men and even a young woman throwing punches in the pool.
Sgt. Pooley said officers have a lot more to be concerned about than the folks fighting.
"When you get a large crowd that has been drinking and are also excited about what's going on, and police come to break that up, they can get upset, and they get a mob mentality," said Sgt. Pooley.
Most students CBS 5 News talked to had no idea fights like this happened but there were a few that had seen the videos.
"All the stuff that does happen usually happens off-campus, especially in the apartments," said ASU freshman Ricardo Palomera.
"There were a lot of people there and when they're are a lot of people crazy stuff happens," said ASU junior Dillon Luther.
The Tempe Police Department advises people to think twice before showing up to one of these parties.
"When guys are fighting right in front of you within arm's length, all it takes is for them to reach out and grab you and start fighting you," said Sgt. Pooley.
Police said fight clubs aren't just happening in Tempe. Police told CBS 5 News they're popping up all across the Valley involving people as young as high school students.
[Related: Teen fight clubs popping up in Phoenix area]
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Hundreds of students stood elbow to elbow cheering on the fight. (Source: YouTube)
Most students CBS 5 talked to had no idea fights like this happened but there were a few that had seen the videos. (Source: YouTube)
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