Thread: Rumor mill turns rowdy party into a major riot

Rumor mill turns rowdy party into a major riot

By RICHELLE BAILEY
rbailey@mcdowellnews.com
Friday, May 26, 2006



Countywide talk about an incident on U.S. 221 North Saturday evening has turned what was a party gone awry into a 500-member gang-related Hispanic riot.

Dozens of Hispanics, mostly from Mitchell and Yancey counties, rented the Wright’s Wrecker Service building on U.S. 221 Saturday evening. A young child had been baptized, which, in that culture, is cause for a big party, according to Lt. Brent Rumfelt of the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office.

Rumfelt was called to the scene around 6 p.m. to find a parking lot full of vehicles and 10 to 12 people fighting. The remainder of the crowd, which has varied in estimates from 100 to 500 people, watched.

Rumfelt said Thursday that he got out of his car, ordered everyone to disband and informed them that other officers were on the way.

"It was like bees running to a beehive," said the lieutenant. "Everyone scattered."

There were no injuries and no arrests.

Rumfelt stated that he was told the fight started when the roof began leaking on some band equipment.

Officers did find 20 to 25 cases of beer and food inside the building, according to the lieutenant.

As rumors continued to circulate about the "riot," the Sheriff’s Office has fielded calls from citizens and out-of-town media outlets.

The McDowell News also had calls from several readers wondering why a story on the riot, arrests and injuries hadn’t been in the paper.

"It’s tough to report on something that didn’t happen," said Editor Scott Hollifield.

http://www.mcdowellnews.com

I will note that they do not say these were illegals.