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Video: 'Did they just deck the bride?' - Mass 'alcohol-fuelled' wedding brawl leaves one man dead

The whole incident was filmed by a guest at the hotel, who was angry that his own birthday celebrations were being ruined by the noise from the duelling wedding receptions.

John Hall
Monday 08 October 2012 18:30 BST
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An ‘alcohol-fuelled’ fight between two rival wedding receptions has left one man dead.
An ‘alcohol-fuelled’ fight between two rival wedding receptions has left one man dead.

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An 'alcohol-fueled' fight between two rival wedding receptions has left one man dead.

The brawl took place as two separate wedding parties celebrated at the Sheraton Mission Hill hotel in Philadelphia.

The 2am fracas, which involved at least eight people, turned deadly when one bride’s 57-year-old uncle collapsed and died outside the hotel with a suspected heart attack.

The whole incident was filmed by a guest at the hotel, who was angry that his own birthday celebrations were being ruined by the noise from the duelling wedding receptions.

His video shows Philadelphia police charging into the hotel’s lobby area branding nightsticks and dragging the brawling wedding guests off one another.

Women can be heard screaming as a large group of men push and wrestle with each other.

At one point the cameraman is heard to ask: “Did they just deck the bride?”. Clearly furious, he adds: "It's my fricking birthday, go to bed."

Police said two wedding receptions were taking place at the hotel and a fight broke out near the bar. It is not known what caused the fight.

Two people were arrested for disorderly conduct while a third was arrested for assaulting a police officer.

Lieutenant Ray Evers told the Philadelphia Daily News: "If we had the opportunity to hit everyone with disorderly conduct, we probably would have…The 75 to 100 people involved probably deserved to be locked up,"

"There was an issue with a lot of alcohol fuelling the fight," he added.

Evers also said that, contrary to the cameraman’s commentary, there was no indication that either of the brides had been assaulted.

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