5 arrested in Long Beach bar brawl
Five patrons of a Long Beach bar were arrested early Sunday morning after getting into a brawl over stolen bar tab money, police said.
Long Beach police responded to The Beach House, a bar and restaurant at 906 W. Beech St., about 12:30 a.m. after the fight broke out, Long Beach Police Commissioner Michael Tangney said.
A contingent of Long Beach police already were stationed outside the bar due to the large crowds who gathered for the city's annual Irish Day parade and festival, which officials anticipated would bring 30,000 spectators to West Beech Street.
Four Nassau police cars and a sergeant also responded, at Long Beach's request, he said. It was unclear whether anyone was injured or received medical treatment, Tangney said.
The fight inside The Beach House began after a group of patrons placed an undisclosed amount of cash on the bartop to pay their tab -- and then it went missing.
Bar employees questioned a suspect, but after reviewing a surveillance video, determined the suspect was "not the individual involved," he said.
But, Tangney said: "Friends of the suspect and the victims . . . engaged in fisticuffs."
No one answered the bar's phone Sunday afternoon.
The names of those arrested and the charges they face were not immediately available Sunday afternoon, Tangney said.
The bar tab thief remains at large.
Nicole Fuller is Newsday's senior criminal justice reporter. She began working at Newsday in 2012 and previously covered local government.
Thieves steal hundreds of toys ... Woman critically hurt in hit-and-run ... Rising beef prices ... Out East: Nettie's Country Bakery
Thieves steal hundreds of toys ... Woman critically hurt in hit-and-run ... Rising beef prices ... Out East: Nettie's Country Bakery
