AUBURN — A security guard at Sapphire Nightclub was punched, kicked and spat on after falling face-first into the front of a car during a Tuesday night melee in the parking lot, witnesses said Thursday.
The 26-year-old suffered a broken nose, a fractured elbow and injuries to both knees when he was attacked by a group of young people at the end of Chem-Free Night at the club.
Video of the fight shows the guard, his arms up in surrender, being assaulted and chased by at least 10 young men before he fell into the car. Witnesses said he was on the ground, already injured when he was beaten by at least four teens.
A nurse who had been picking her kids up from the club tended to the injured security guard before he was taken by ambulance to a Lewiston hospital. He was treated and later released.
Three teens were charged with disorderly conduct in the fracas. They have not been identified. Police said additional charges were not filed because the security guard did not report being assaulted.
“If the security guard had wished to press charges, further investigation would have been done,” Auburn Deputy Police Chief Jason Moen said Wednesday. “In order to complete an assault investigation, there has to be a victim reporting they were assaulted. There is no further information on the incident.”
Club owner Jeremy Fitts reported he was punched in the face and his wife Amanda was punched and bitten when the swarm of teens attacked shortly before 11:30 p.m. Tuesday night. The teens turned violent, they said, when a club employee removed a knife from one of the patrons.
“This all started because we confiscated a knife earlier and we told the girl to come back tomorrow with an adult to get it back,” Fitts said.
On Thursday, video surfaced of a fight in the women’s bathroom at the club the night of the brawl. There was also an altercation at the club’s front doors minutes before the scrap, a scene captured by surveillance cameras.
Fitts said that just after closing time Tuesday night, a teenage boy ran up to the doors, demanding to be let inside. He was being chased by a gang of other teens looking to beat him, the teen told Fitts.
Fitts allowed the teen inside. Moments later, roughly a dozen young men appeared at the door, trying to get inside. Fitts stopped them from entering, but about a minute after the group walked away, the fight began in the parking lot. In the surveillance footage, a rush of bodies can be seen as dozens of people join the fray.
The club owners announced Wednesday that as a result of the Tuesday night brawl, they would no longer host Chem-Free Night for teenagers. Two security guards had been working the Tuesday night event, which was hosted free of charge.
In the days following the fight, several videos of the brawl went viral on social media, with one post alone being viewed by nearly 30,000 people. The majority of those who commented defended the Sapphire owners and lamented the end of an activity that had been held successfully for three years.
“My kids have attended almost every chem-free event that Club Sapphire has held and there has never been any issues until last night,” said Melissa Jackson of Lewiston. “I am thankful to the staff at Club Sapphire. Tuesday night they put themselves in harm’s way to protect all of the kids that were trying to peacefully leave their property.
“The behavior of these teens is unacceptable,” Jackson said. “They have no respect for adults, authority figures or themselves. Parents need to step up and take action, be actively involved in their kids’ lives and activities.”
She added, “Kids learn by example. I have heard on countless occasions that there are no activities offered for teens in this area. Club Sapphire was generous enough to offer a free event and now (the teens’) inappropriate behavior has ruined it for all of the kids in this area. It’s very sad because they all know better.”
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