To paraphrase a lyric from the hit "Come Out and Play" by the punk band The Offspring, you have to keep them separated. But for the purposes of this next story, it's not the kids who are bashing things up. It's their parents.
Videos by Wide Open Country
A camera caught two families fighting over a place to sit at a kindergarten graduation ceremony at a Catholic school in Toledo, Ohio. And this was no mere scuffle. According to the New York Post, one parent was sent to the hospital, and another went to jail.
What Happened During the Brawl?
If you've attended any graduation ceremonies this year, you've certainly encountered that one person who is saving seats for someone else who failed to show up on time.
The situation escalated when one set of parents didn't listen to 28-year-old Jessica Anderson when she told them a set of seats was reserved. She began to curse them out after they accused her of hogging them.
When Craig Mays, another parent, tried to calm Anderson down, he got "sucker-punched." Then five men in Anderson's extended family got out of their seats and dogpiled on him.
The video shows several people pounding a man on the ground while other people try to break things up.
Mays' ex tried to step in. Anderson allegedly grabbed her by the hair and dragged her away. The two then fought and pounded each other. Mays' ex then appears to slam her face against a metal chair. An affidavit shows that Mays' ex was then hospitalized and required stitches.
Who Went to Jail?
Anderson was then arrested. She was charged with felonious assault.
At the time of the fight, the kindergartners were rehearsing for their graduation in another room. The school said the students were safe. The rest of the end-of-school-year celebrations continued without incident.
Whether another graduation ceremony for the students will take place is unknown. Mays, who actually teaches kindergarten at another school, is optimistic.
He said, "I know how hard those kids work, I know how hard those teachers work, for us to ruin it and be selfish like that, it literally breaks my heart that I can't watch my daughter graduate today."
You can watch the brawl below.
