Fans and fighters were sent to an amateur MMA event last weekend, when a participant inexplicably started firing shots into the air.
Former UFC fighter and current Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship boxer, Hector Lombard, captured images of the frightening incident, which occurred at a Rize Fighting Championship show at the Bamboo Room in Lake Worth Beach, Florida, last Saturday.
The incident was first reported by TMZ.
According to Lombard, the shooting was preceded by a fight beside the cage.
“This guy just shot the gun in the middle of a fight at an amateur show,” wrote Lombard in a caption accompanying him. “Shameful and pathetic cowardly behavior ruined a great night of fighting.”
Police initially responded to a triggering call, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department public information officer Teri Barbera told MMA Fighting. A scan in the area found that no one had been shot, although some people sustained minor injuries during the melee and were treated by PBC Fire Rescue.
No arrests have been made, but the police are treating this as an ongoing investigation.
“We are talking to witnesses and trying to track down who might be involved in this, but fortunately, no one was shot,” said Barbera. “There may be more charges. It could have killed someone. At the moment, shots are fired, which is a felony charge. “
Rize Fighting Championship President Armando Gonzalez told the Florida WBPF that the shooting occurred after the main event and that the plan is for future events to be more secure.
“It was kind of scary for a lot of people, we were definitely shocked to see something like this happen,” said Gonzalez.
“For an event that went so well and ended like that, it’s kind of frustrating,” he added. “Hopefully, the authorities will arrest that man.”
Bamboo Room co-owner Darren Cummings told WBPF that MMA events may no longer be in the plans for the venue.
“For us, I’m not sure if we’re going to allow these events in our parking lot anymore,” said Cummings. “We are going to keep what we do, which is more live music.