Details emerged Monday about a brawl on the Strip in which a crowd threw chairs, bottles and punches at the first police officers who had tried to stop a melee Saturday night at the Hawaiian Marketplace.
A large fight had started outside a Samoan concert at the open-air mall at 3743 Las Vegas Blvd. South near Harmon Avenue about 10:15 p.m., Las Vegas police said.
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A team of officers saw the brawl and ordered the combatants to stop fighting. Some participants responded by throwing objects at the officers and verbally challenging them, according to several police arrest reports detailing the incident.
As the tension escalated, a few embattled officers signaled an "officer emergency" and called for backup. About 80 officers rushed to the scene to restore order, police said.
"As officers arrived, more males and females exited the concert and participated in an affray with the other males and police officers," police wrote in one report.
Due to the large number of people involved in the fight, police "were forced to use their OC Spray (pepper spray)," expandable straight batons and defensive hand techniques approved by the department to gain control of the situation, arrest suspects and disperse the crowd, the report notes.
Las Vegas resident Jack Lindberg said he and friends had just finished eating at a nearby Smith & Wollensky restaurant when they noticed wave after wave of police cruisers racing to the area.
"It was just amazing," said the 40-year-old Lindberg. "They were driving over curbs, bus stops, honking at pedestrians. They were doing whatever it took to get there."
Lindberg said he saw three officers jump a fence, tackle a suspect and watched another officer draw his firearm. He recalled seeing three men walking and stumbling, who appeared to be Pacific Islanders, and heard one of them emerge from the concert yelling "(Screw) California!"
Police said some of the combatants had been drinking at a party held to honor U.S. military service members before the fighting broke out.
Approximately 20 people were arrested for charges ranging from disorderly conduct to battery on a police officer, authorities said.
Police said Che Potasi was one of the suspects who attacked uniformed officers.
"Che Potasi used his hands in a closed fist mode to strike Officer M. Belmont in the back of the head and in the back of his lower torso," police wrote in a report. "Che Potasi then ran into the crowd of officers, pushed his way through and struck Officer A. Robins in the back of his head with a closed fist. At that time, Che Potasi was also attempting to dig down through his friends to get to Officer J. Hearns while striking him in the face."
Potasi was charged with three counts of battery on a police officer, participating in an affray, resisting a police officer and disorderly conduct. Police said another suspect, Sifa Vedi, pushed officer Belmont into a glass wall and punched two other officers. Vedi is also charged with battery on a police officer, participating in an affray, resisting a police officer and disorderly conduct.
Another suspect, Dennis Malumaleumu, picked up a police sergeant and slammed him to the ground. Malumaleumu was charged with battery on a police officer, participating in an affray, resisting a police officer and disorderly conduct.
Police closed a portion of the Strip for nearly an hour before re-opening the area to tourists. Four police officers were treated for minor injuries and released.
