NEAR WEST SIDE — A group of people were recorded fighting Wednesday night at the United Center following a game featuring some of the best high school basketball players in the nation.
The Sun-Times posted the video on YouTube and estimated that about a dozen spectators were involved in the melee. It was unclear who shot the video.
The brawl occurred in the concourse of the United Center where the McDonald's All American Game was held before a reported crowd of about 10,000.
In a statement, the game organizers said they were "disappointed by this kind of activity, which runs counter to the spirit of the McDonald’s All American Games."
The organizers said United Center security team and the Chicago Police restored order. The video shows a number of people swinging at each other and men in yellow coats, possibly security, trying to stop the brawl.
TMZ Sports said the fight occurred on the 300 level of the stadium and involved fans "throwing haymakers and slamming each other to the floor."
Chicago Police said they went to the United Center at 8:40 p.m. because security had detained a 32-year-old woman who hit another woman, but they were not sure if it was tied to the brawl caught on video.
Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told the Tribune that the incident "was most likely addressed by patrol officers at the venue if we didn't get a 911 call on it."
A United Center spokesman declined comment on the fight.
Violence has occurred at the United Center previously at high school games staged there. At a 2005 Illinois High School Association Supersectional playoff game between Thornton and Homewood-Flossmoor, three people were hospitalized after a fight, ABC7 notes.
