BEECH GROVE, Ind. -- Video of two teen girls brawling in front of an Indiana home has drawn the attention of law enforcement.
A couple of dozen people, including several neighbors, watched the fight as it happened. Some of the those neighbors did the responsible thing and called police, but video of the brawl recorded on a cell phone appears to show one of the girl’s parents encouraging the fight.
For close to three minutes, countless punches were thrown between two girls, surrounded by several onlookers.
Neighbors say the woman heard repeatedly encouraging and offering advice is the mother of one of the two combatants.
“The adults were egging on the fight, the mother especially,” said neighbor Mary Wilhelm.
Wilhelm says she sat on her porch and watched the fight Tuesday night. As a mother herself, Mary says the behavior of the parent in this case is simply unacceptable.
“I think the parent needs to grow up. Who is the adult down there?” said Wilhelm.
Still, Mary says the fight didn’t come as a surprise because neighbors have seen it before and have repeatedly called police to break up violence with the same family.
“It’s not uncommon for this to happen at that house. We see a lot of fights,” said Wilhelm.
Last year, another fight video in Beech Grove went viral, showing two women fighting in an aisle inside a Wal-Mart store. Mary says the incidents don’t give the city a good name.
“We keep getting bad reputations in Beech Grove because parents are helping their kids fight. They need to be the better person and stop that,” said Wilhelm.
Eventually, the fight between the two girls was broken up, but that’s when the mother offered her daughter a high five for a good fight.
“That’s how she’s teaching her daughter to solve her problems with her fist?” asked Wilhelm. “Why can’t we call this other mother and sit down and have a talk and find out what’s happening with these two?”
Police were called last night, but didn’t arrive until after the fight. Investigators did not want to comment on the case today, but did say they’re looking into whether any crimes were committed.
