A long-running feud between two families erupted into a violent brawl during a wedding celebration in Westlake, Ohio, leaving guests injured and three men under arrest.
The fight broke out on August 21 at the La Centre Banquet Facility before spilling into the parking area, prompting Westlake police to call for assistance from neighbouring departments.
Wedding turns chaotic as fight breaks out
A 911 caller told police that several people were fighting inside and outside the venue, with one person suffering a head injury.
Body-camera and cellphone footage showed officers arriving to find a large crowd of wedding guests in the parking lot. Police worked to separate the groups as more guests emerged from the venue.
Inside the ballroom, video showed a man identified by police as Raed Mahmoud Sulaiman holding what appeared to be a butter knife while several people attempted to restrain him.
Three men face charges
Police arrested Ali Wahdan, 47, Raed Mahmoud Sulaiman, 46, and Abdallah Wahdan, 48.
Sulaiman, from Dearborn Heights, Michigan, faces charges of assault, inducing panic and tampering with evidence. Police allege he threatened guests with a butter knife before discarding it as officers arrived.
Ali Wahdan was charged with violating a temporary protection order, while Abdallah Wahdan was charged with aggravated menacing for allegedly threatening other guests.
The charges were filed in Rocky River Municipal Court.
Police blame longstanding family tensions
Police said alcohol was not a factor and instead attributed the confrontation to longstanding tensions between the two families.
Investigators said Ali Wahdan was subject to a temporary protection order involving members of the other family and was required to leave after encountering them at the venue.
Police Captain Jerry Vogel said that even if such an encounter happens accidentally, a person subject to the order is required to leave.
Celebration resumes after police restore order
Despite the violence and arrests, the wedding celebration eventually continued after police brought the situation under control.
The incident has left the families facing legal proceedings after what was meant to be a day of celebration descended into a major confrontation involving multiple police departments.