Gallery: Mug Shots From Bloomington PD
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (WCCO) – The Swarm battled the Rochester (N.Y.) Knighthawks on Monday, Feb. 12 to a 9-6 victory. But for a handful of the losing players, their fighting spirit wasn’t over.
The group of professional lacrosse players would later head for dinner and drinks at a nearby TGI Friday’s restaurant near the Mall of America.
By 1 a.m., an estimated 20 to 30 people inside the restaurant were dodging fists and food.
“Some of those were bystanders and employees trying to separate the two groups who were fighting,” said Bloomington Police deputy chief Rich Hart. “Apparently there was food and menus and dishes and things like that thrown between the two different tables.”
According to the criminal complaint, customers sitting next to the players got upset when they were hit by a menu. The customers were employees of a nearby Foot Locker store who had come to the restaurant after work.
When Bloomington officers arrived to break up the fight, three of the players — Sidney Smith, Travis Hill and Cody Jamieson — resisted arrest.
“It seems like they apparently tried to get involved,” said Hart. “When one person was being arrested, some others would come to that person’s assistance and interfere with the arrest.”
Two other Rochester players — Jordan Hall and Tyler Burton — also face misdemeanor charges for getting involved in the altercation.
According to investigators, there were no Minnesota Swarm players in the bar at the time and it appears to have nothing to do with the outcome of the earlier game.
The Rochester Knighthawks released a team statement saying, in part, “We can confirm that four Knighthawks players required medical treatment and spent the night in the hospital.”
The statement goes on to say, “We are conducting our own investigation of the incident. As there is now an ongoing legal proceeding, we will not be issuing any further comment at this time.”
