A driver struck several people in a Sebring, Florida bar parking lot early Saturday morning after a fight there spilled into the lot. Bystanders from one side rushed the vehicle that the other side had climbed into. A viral video has been circulating online that reveals part of what happened next. Police say it doesn’t how the rest.
Officers from the Sebring Police Department, who happened to be on scene before any of this began, stopped the car as it was trying to leave the lot. A woman driver was detained. No one has been arrested at this time, however.
No one was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, despite the incident. The department said the situation could have been significantly worse. Luckily, the vehicle didn’t seriously injure the crowd it had crashed into.
This occurrence, which happened at the Back Alley Bar & Grill, is now part of an active investigation that police describe as complex. They’ve cautioned that the incident looks different from the viral clips, depending on which 10 seconds of video you’re watching. No names were released in connection to the incident.
What Happened, According to Police
Officers were already on scene at the Back Alley Bar & Grill at about 1 a.m. on May 23 when an argument between two groups of patrons in the parking lot escalated into a physical fight. After the altercation, one group seemingly climbed into a vehicle. The other group rushed the vehicle and began throwing unknown objects through its windows.
The driver then drove into people who allegedly were continuing the physical altercation. The car struck multiple individuals and a parked car while moving. Officers then stopped the vehicle in the parking lot as it tried to exit, and detained a woman as a suspect. In a statement, the department said the viral clips do show the vehicle driving through people in the parking lot but don’t fully capture the critical seconds leading up to the incident. Those moments, police say, account for the rush on the vehicle and the objects thrown through its windows.
The Incident’s Aftermath
Multiple people were struck, but no one suffered life-threatening injuries during the incident. The woman driver remains detained. However, no arrests have been made as investigators continue to gather evidence, review surveillance and additional video footage, and identify potential victims and other suspects.
The department has said the investigation has criminal charges pending. The Back Alley Bar & Grill, in its own Facebook statement, called the incident a “horrific act of violence”. It added that the people involved had been arguing inside the bar before being asked to leave the building.
Sebring detectives are asking anyone who saw the incident, or who has video of any portion of it, to contact the Sebring Police Department at (863) 471-5107, or to submit an anonymous tip to Heartland Crime Stoppers at 1-800-226-TIPS (8477).