WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
Fox News Digital has obtained the audio recording of the sole 911 call after a violent beatdown involving at least 100 witnesses in downtown Cincinnati early last Saturday morning.
A dazed-sounding man called authorities around 3 a.m. on July 26. The call lasted three minutes and 15 seconds, as the 911 operator asked a litany of questions, including how many people had been involved in the fight. It was placed after the brutal beatdown had ended, the caller indicated.
“At this point, everybody’s running out, so it was before, about 20, 30 people, but everybody’s out,” the caller said.
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At the one-minute and 30-second mark of the call, the operator asked whether police needed to respond, given that the fight was over.
“Some people are leaving, some people are still here,” the caller said, which he repeated throughout the call.
The 911 operator asked several times how many people were involved in the fight, and then asked again whether police were needed.
“So you keep saying they left, do you need police to respond out?” she asked toward the end of the call.
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“I would prefer, yes,” the man said. “I would prefer, yes. Absolutely.”
The operator then told the man that an officer would be dispatched “as soon as possible,” and asked him not to leave the scene.
Out of the 100 or so people who were at the scene, the man was the only one to call 911, according to Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge.
“That is unacceptable to not call the police,” she said in a news conference earlier this week. “Traffic was horrendous. People saw this. They were fighting in front of traffic. Why didn’t people call us?”
The city has been roundly criticized this week over its handling of the brawl, which set the internet ablaze.
Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval responded publicly late Monday, after the beating had been circulated for about 36 hours. He has been on vacation in Canada all week, and finally announced plans to cut his vacation short and return to the city Thursday. A city councilwoman, Victoria Parks, said on Facebook that the victims of the attack “begged for that beat down!”
In the video, a mob can be seen punching and stomping on two victims on the corner of Fourth and Elm Street. One of the victims, a woman identified only as Holly, was knocked out cold.
Montianez Merriweather, 34, and Dekyra Vernon, 24, were arrested Tuesday night. Both face felonious assault, aggravated riot and assault charges. Merriweather is being held on a $500,000 bond, while Vernon is being held on a $200,000 bond.
A third suspect, Jermaine Matthews, was taken into custody overnight and charged with aggravated riot and assault. He is being held on a $100,000 bond.
Matthews had a bond hearing on Thursday, where he was charged with two felony assault charges, along with another assault charge. His bond was raised to $270,000. He has pleaded not guilty.
His attorney, Brandon Fox, told the court that Matthews did not start the fight.
“That video that we discussed yesterday has now been released of that individual slapping on my client and then the fight ensuing thereafter,” he said.
Fox also said that Matthews is not responsible for knocking one of the victims out, though it is unclear to which victim he is referring.
“That person was knocked unconscious by a different individual, and my client moved that person from his business vehicle. That’s where the basis of that charge comes from,” Fox said.
He also made claims that one of the victims used racial slurs before the fight.
A Cincinnati Police detective was also present in court, and disputed that the slap began the fight.
He told the judge that “we have video footage that totally disputes the slap being the first incident of someone putting their hands on someone.”
Assistant Hamilton County Prosecutor David Hickenlooper also weighed in.
“This person is unconscious,” he said of the victim. “He wasn’t rendering aid. He was dragging him into the middle of the street after he had been knocked out. This is my understanding.”
Police say charges have been filed against two more people, who are not yet in custody.
The Cincinnati Police Department did not return a request for comment Thursday and has not returned multiple comment requests throughout the week.
Over the course of the week, Pureval’s office has not returned multiple comment requests. Neither has the Cincinnati City Council, nor the City Manager’s office.
Fox News’ Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
