Police investigating after video of Moncton brawl appears online

A verbal exchange quickly got out of hand and escalated into a street brawl in Moncton on the weekend.

The fight was captured on camera and posted to YouTube. It shows two women fighting and then several other men and women join in.

The altercation took place in Robinson Court – Moncton’s bar district – Sunday evening.

“As we got closer we noticed that there was multiple fights inside Robinson Court, Main Street,” says Charles LeBlanc, who witnessed the incident as he walked down Main Street around 2 a.m. Monday.

Police were called to the scene at 2:30 a.m. When they arrived, they spotted an 18-year-old male hitting a 36-year-old male. Officers arrested the teen.

“That male subject was later arrested and also charged for assault causing bodily harm,” says Codiac RCMP Sgt. Andre Pepin.

Police say Robinson Court – an area filled with bars, pubs and clubs that serve a diverse mix of patrons – is a hot spot for violence. But some patrons and at least one bar owner are disputing that.

“This is a nice spot in town. There is a lot of power and energy in this spot of town and it shouldn’t be directed towards stuff like that,” says patron Luc Thebeau.

“The live music scene here is remarkable,” says patron Chelsey Dempsey. “I have gotten to know some of the band members and they are just awesome people. I love the court.”

Police say part of the issue is the number of drinking establishments on the block. At closing time, hundreds of people – some of them intoxicated – can be pouring into the city block at the same time.

But bar owner Nathan Johnson says it isn’t fair to paint all establishments with the same brush.

“So many people are talking about the problems on Robinson Court and this and that, but all summer I have seen three or four situations, so it’s not being addressed and I think we are all being painted with the same brush,” says Johnson.

Police say they do what they can to keep peace in the area and they are trying to determine what sparked Sunday’s brawl.

“We have people, members doing foot patrols in this area to try to avoid any incidents,” says Pepin.

The teen charged with assault is due to appear in court on Wednesday.

Warning: Video contains disturbing content