A large group of Spring Breakers were seen gleefully watching as two men with boxing gloves fought each other on a Fort Lauderdale beach, with one witness saying that people were betting on the brawl with cryptocurrency.
Joshua Pettus, the man who recorded the video of the fight, lives nearby on a boat and was walking the beach when he saw a massive crowd forming.
‘I started hearing somebody taking bets, and they were doing it with crypto,’ Pettus told NBC 6 South Florida.
As soon as he heard this he took out his phone, started recorded and followed the people talking about making bets.
When he got closer, he said he saw ‘boxing gloves come out.’ The ring of students gradually swelled larger as the fight was set to kick off.
The video shot by Pettus shows a man hyping up the crowd before two other men put on the boxing gloves.
After touching gloves, the men began throwing frenzied punches at one another before one of them got knocked down.
Pettus claimed that students in the circle were kicking the man while he was on the sand and still being punched by his opponent.
Moments after the two fighters touched gloves, they began throwing punches. Above, a boxing glove (circled) is seen connecting with the face of one of the men
Joshua Pettus (pictured) recorded the fight on his cellphone after overhearing people talking about crypto betting
‘You see all these feet kicking the guy that’s on the ground. It’s insane, it’s unsafe,’ Pettus told CBS News Miami. ‘If they had somebody that was there legally refereeing this it would be different. But you have families and kids out there too. It shouldn’t be happening.
Police officers riding ATVs quickly arrived to break up the fight, but it appeared to take some time for the crowd to disperse.
The Fort Lauderdale Police Department issued a statement addressing the violent clash on the beach, cautioning that they had found no evidence of any betting going on.
‘Fort Lauderdale Police witnessed and broke up two incidents on the beach and the crowd complied both times without further issues. There have been no reported or confirmed cases of betting. This type of behavior will not be tolerated,’ the department stated.
‘Our police department is out along the beach in full force to make this spring break season safe and enjoyable for visitors and residents alike. We encourage anyone who witnesses a disturbance to call 911,’ the statement concluded.
Pettus who has lived in Fort Lauderdale for nine years said he loves when college kids come and spend money on local businesses. Incidents like these though, shouldn’t be tolerated, he said.
Fort Lauderdale, one of the most popular destinations for Spring Break, will keep various safety measures in place until April 12.
This includes prohibiting alcohol, coolers, tents and live music in high-trafficked areas on the beach. There will also be increase police enforcement, with officers being present at entertainment area from 10pm to 4am.
