Fight On 16th Street Mall Lasts 13 Minutes Before Arrests
DENVER (CBS4) - A man visiting Denver for this weekend's Pride events captured video of a fight on the 16th Street Mall that sent three people to the hospital Saturday.
According Mark Webber, a Utah native who witnessed and recorded the brawl using his phone, the fight broke out around 10:35 p.m. At one point the men and woman involved could be seen tackling each other, and one person used a bottle of liquor to strike another in the head. Webber says he recorded the entire incident, which lasted at least 13 minutes. He later posted the video online.
Denver police responded after receiving a call about the fight at 10:43 p.m., a spokeswoman says. They arrested two men -- Gregory Lecorps, 24, and Damian Dominguez, 27, on suspicion of first-degree assault.
Police say the fight started when three men walking through the mall saw a man harass a woman and intervened. One of the suspects later arrested, and two other people involved in the fight were transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Another visitor, Christopher Daly, in Denver for a symposium, says he had just checked into his hotel near the 16th Street Mall when he saw the aftermath of the fight.
"That was half a block away and the streets were roped off and the flashing lights," Daly said. "I knew something had gone on. It makes you wonder about security and all those kinds of issues."
In response to the fight, Paul Lopez, Denver City Councilman for District 3, said keeping the popular tourism spot safe requires foot patrols.
"We have to be able to have officers that are walking the beat, not just in cars, but interacting with people," Lopez said. "Preventing things like this from happening."
The Downtown Denver Partnership has plans in the works to make improvements to the corridor, saying safety, and the perception of such, are its number one priority. The group's president and CEO, Tami Door, says soon new fixtures will be ordered to replace and add lighting to the mall. The $1.9 million project is expected to be completed this fall.
Door says the partnership has also issued a request for proposal, or RFP, for a private security firm to monitor the mall, saying the measure is intended to put "additional eyes and ears" and a uniform presence there. Door says the group is currently receiving bids and there is not yet a timeline for when a firm may be hired.
