By Geoff Herbert
syracuse.com
NEW YORK — An illegal fight club in New York City has been busted by police cracking down on people violating coronavirus restrictions.
NBC reports NYC sheriffs broke up an “amateur fighting event” dubbed “Rumble in the Bronx” on Saturday night. Cops said there were more than 200 attendees drinking alcohol, smoking hookah, partying and watching fights — while not wearing masks or social distancing.
Deputies seized two loaded guns and “a significant amount of marijuana” as they shut down the event at a Coster Street commercial warehouse.
The New York Post reports 10 men were arrested for organizing the fight night. Rumble in the Bronx Fight Club CEO Michael Roman, 32, of the Bronx, is facing a $15,000 fine for breaking social-distancing orders, illegally warehousing alcohol and running an illegal fight club.
Videos on Instagram show Roman’s organization staging fights in cages, bodegas, and on the streets.
According to the New York Daily News, authorities also busted two other underground parties over the weekend with an additional 400 people violating coronavirus restrictions as the city sees a rise in Covid-19 cases.
Sheriff’s deputies found 205 people partying in an underground club at Rogue Space, an art gallery and event space in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, early Saturday morning. Attendees were similarly drinking and smoking without social distancing or face coverings. Five people were arrested and issued desk appearance tickets.
Another party was busted at the Hearts of Love banquet hall in Brooklyn around 3 a.m. Saturday. Nearly 200 people were found inside violating Covid-19 rules; four people were arrested, including a bouncer.
New York state limits gatherings to 50 people or less and requires face masks at all times when social distancing is not possible. In yellow zones, mass gatherings are limited to 25 people and restaurants cannot allow more than four people at a table; parts of Brooklyn are in the orange zone where mass gatherings are limited to 10 people and schools must be remote-only.
https://twitter.com/NYCSHERIFF/status/1327927078759624704
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