A group of Marines in their dress blues caught on video brawling with civilians outside a nightclub in Austin, Texas' bustling entertainment district are not currently facing any punishment, according to the service.
Video posted on YouTube shows a confrontation that quickly escalated between a group of men and the uniformed Marines among the crowds in the busy bar and nightclub district on 6th Street in Austin. The Austin Police Department told Military.com that it occurred around 1:53 a.m. local time in the 400 block of the street.
A woman can be seen throwing one of the Marines' phones, and then a man in a white hooded sweatshirt confronts one of the uniformed service members. About four civilians and nearly twice as many Marines begin shoving and then the two sides start to throw punches and jabs.
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A Marine is shown throwing punches at a man who stumbles and falls to the ground in the middle of the street. About 30 seconds into the brawl, Texas Department of Public Safety and Austin police officers quickly rush in to break up the altercation.
A civilian was pinned to the ground and handcuffed in the video, but no individuals were arrested, according to an email from the Austin Police Department.
"The scene was initially attended to by officers from the Texas Department of Safety (DPS) Troopers, who were immediately joined by APD officers," the department said in an email. "The officers successfully intervened and brought an end to the fight. Two individuals were briefly detained but were subsequently released without any further incidents. No arrests were made in connection with the incident."
Second Lt. Sean Cloherty, a Marine Forces Reserve spokesman, told Military.com that the uniformed Marines were from Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 23rd Marines, 4th Marine Division. He added they are not facing either disciplinary or administrative action.
"No Marines were hospitalized or taken into custody," Cloherty said. "While the command is informally looking into the situation and all Marines are accounted for, there are no formal actions being taken at this time."
A similar incident occurred in May, according to NBC 7 in San Diego. A group of anywhere from a dozen to two dozen teenagers was seen in a video that circulated online beating at least two Marines during a melee near the San Clemente Pier in California.
Four boys and one girl were booked on charges of assault with a deadly weapon, NBC 7 reported. The Marines were treated at the scene for minor injuries, but they refused to go to a hospital.
-- Thomas Novelly can be reached at thomas.novelly@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @TomNovelly.
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