Brawl at Brandon Astro Skate broke out after party was canceled, deputies say

Emily Wunderlich, Jack Prator, Lesley Cosme Torres, Tampa Bay Times
Updated ·2 min read

A brawl outside Brandon’s Astro Skate that led to dozens of arrests over the weekend broke out after a party was canceled, deputies say.

Deputies were called to the popular skating rink at 750 W. Robertson St. about 9:20 p.m. Saturday, after an off-duty deputy reported a “large crowd” was fighting in the parking lot, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

“The fight erupted apparently because a planned after-party was canceled,” the news release states. The sheriff’s office said Astro Skate canceled the party and refunded the money after the hosts failed to hire an off-duty deputy for the event, per the skating rink’s policy.

After the cancellation, the party group took to social media, “asking people to come and riot at the business and confront law enforcement,” the news release states. When deputies arrived, they found a crowd of about 400 to 500 people in the parking lot of the skating rink and other nearby businesses.

The deputies told the group multiple times that they were trespassing and needed to leave.

“Despite this, the crowd continued fighting, damaging businesses, stealing and disrupting business operations,” the news release states.

According to the sheriff’s office, one group broke away and attacked a 16-year-old boy inside the TimeOut Barbershop, 928 W. Brandon Blvd. Video released by the sheriff’s office appears to show the group beating the teen, and one person is seen kicking him through the shop’s plate-glass window.

The video is violent in nature and may be disturbing to some viewers.

The teen was taken to Tampa General Hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, but he had a severe cut on his hand, the news release states.

The barber shop did not immediately return a phone call, voicemail or text message from the Tampa Bay Times seeking comment on Monday.

Another group entered the 7-Eleven at 700 W. Brandon Blvd., where they caused over $500 worth of damage to wine bottles and stole an “undetermined amount” of merchandise, according to the sheriff’s office.

A nearby Publix also closed its doors early to ensure the safety of employees and patrons inside the store. A sheriff’s office spokesperson told the Times that the Salem’s restaurant at 903 W. Brandon Blvd. was also affected, but did not immediately provide further information.

On Monday, the sheriff’s office said 29 people were arrested, of which 23 were minors and six were adults. The adults were booked at the Orient Road Jail, and the juveniles were taken to the Juvenile Assessment Center.

“I am outraged by the violent and disruptive behavior that targeted hard-working people and businesses and created harm, fear and chaos in our community,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said in the news release. “Let me make this unequivocally clear: This violent and destructive behavior will never, under any circumstances, be tolerated in Hillsborough County.”