Wedding reception goes horribly wrong when attendees start fighting, Florida cops say
A wedding reception in Florida went horribly wrong over Labor Day weekend when a brawl among attendees put one man in a hospital, according to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office.
The suspects in his beating are a father and son, and they remain at large, the sheriff’s office said in a Sept. 7 news release.
It happened around 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 3, at the Granville Farms Wedding & Event Barn in Lake Helen, 35 miles northeast of Orlando, officials said.
“Deputies were called to the scene in which three men engaged in a fight in the parking lot,” the sheriff’s office reports.
“The victim was struck in the head and face multiple times and kicked even after becoming unresponsive. The two suspects fled the scene before deputies arrived.”
Witnesses said it started when two men got into an argument near the front of the event hall, and began shoving each other, according to the incident report. The dispute then moved outside the parking lot, the report states.
“The fight began to escalate when another male became involved yelling ‘Don’t touch my dad,’ and struck the (victim) ... in the back of the head,” according to the report.
“Both males then proceeded to strike (the victim) as he fell to the ground ... and continually ‘stomp’ (the victim) upon his head as he laid in the parking lot.”
The cause of the fight was not released, but it left the 36-year-old victim “bleeding profusely from his mouth, head and eyes,” according to the incident report.
Investigators identified the two suspects as Joel O’Grady, 38, and his son Julian Falkinburg, 21, both of Sanford. The pair “have extensive violent criminal histories,” officials said. The identity of the victim, who is from Lake Mary, has not been released.
Volusia sheriff’s office detectives are asking for help finding the men, who are “wanted on charges of aggravated battery.” Anyone who sees them should call 911, officials said.
Investigators did not say why the pair were at the reception or if they knew the victim prior to attending.
A manager at the wedding barn told authorities O’Grady had been involved in a disturbance earlier in the event, and was suspected of being intoxicated, according to the incident report.
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