A video that shows in-uniform U.S. Marines getting into a street fight in front of an Austin, Texas, bar has been circulating online.
In the video, officers from the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Austin Police Department arrive to break up the brawl. Audacy reached out to Texas DPS, which referred to the Austin Police Department for comment. Audacy also contacted Austin police.
“On November 19, 2023, at approximately 1:53 a.m. Austin Police Department (APD) Officers responded to an on-site incident in the 400 block of E 6th St.,” said the department in a statement provided to Audacy. “A group of individuals and a group of United States Marines (USMC) had engaged in a physical altercation.”
According to the YouTube account TX StreetFights 2, which posted the video, the incident occurred Sunday on 6th Street in Austin. A sign for the Voodoo Room nightclub on 6th Street is visible behind the fighters.
Near the beginning of the video, it looks as if a woman possibly grabbed something from one of a group of Marines standing near the entrance to the club. She can be seen yelling in their direction. Then, the camera pans away for a moment. When it returns to the group, a man in a long-sleeved white shirt can be seen swinging at one of the men wearing Marine uniforms.
Several other men in the uniforms then make their way to the group. By then, another man in a long-sleeved white shirt and a man in a short-sleeved white shirt had apparently joined the fight. As the man in the short-sleeved white shirt threw punches at one of the uniformed men, the man in uniform tackled him to the ground.
At that point, Texas DPS and Austin police also became involved and worked to break up the fight. A man in a gray sweater and an electric scooter also somehow got ensnared in the tangle on the ground.
Eventually, authorities seemed to apprehend at least one of the three men initially involved in the fight. Sirens could be heard in the background of the video, and men on horses wearing uniforms identifying them as Austin police also arrived on the scene.
“The scene was initially attended to by officers from the Texas Department of Safety (DPS) Troopers, who were immediately joined by APD officers,” said the Austin Police Department. “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.”
“Marines are not known just for their battlefield prowess, but for their unparalleled standards of professionalism and uncompromising personal conduct and appearance,” according to uniform regulations from the Marine Corps. “It is a Marine’s duty and personal obligation to maintain a professional and neat appearance. Any activity which detracts from the dignified appearance of Marines is unacceptable. The use of chewing gum, chewing tobacco, cigarettes or the consumption of food while walking in uniform or while in formation are examples of activities that detract from the appearance expected of a United States Marine.”
Outlets such as The New York Post and NDTV World also covered the incident.