Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images
© 2025 Blaze Media LLC. All rights reserved.
A brutal Indiana bar brawl over the weekend was caught on video — and racism is playing a central role amid the fallout.
The incident took place around 11 p.m. Friday at Pike's Pub in Fort Wayne. The Allen County Sheriff’s Department said its officers were dispatched there "to have an intoxicated subject removed from the bar."
'We want to fight back.'
The sheriff's department added that a fight started and ended inside the bar prior to officers arriving. The "victim of the fight" didn't want to provide information on the individuals who injured him, officials said, adding that the victim was "transported by ambulance to an area hospital in fair condition." Officers conducted a follow-up investigation on Saturday morning at the bar, the sheriff's department said, adding that "all information will be forwarded to the Criminal Investigations Division for further investigation."
A video of the fight shows numerous white males dressed in biker clothing surrounding a black man dressed in a yellow vest. The white males shove the black man and tell him more than once that he needs to pay his "f**kin' tab." Suddenly the white men begin punching the black man, and an all-out brawl ensues.
The black man fights back but is soon tackled to the floor. About six men dressed in biker gear join the beatdown; one appears to hit the victim with a chair, and one hollers "beat that f**kin' N***** up" as the the victim is kicked in the face. That's when the clip ends.
Blaze News on Monday reached out to the sheriff's office for updates on the case, and officials there said as of Monday no charges or arrests have been made, but "the investigation is ongoing."
RELATED: Two men charged with hate crimes of intimidation and ridicule in alleged assault of couple
Image source: Allen County (Ind.) Sheriff's Department
When asked about the possibility of hate crime or bias charges, the sheriff's department added to Blaze News that "any and all possible charges will be considered before submission to the prosecutor’s office."
In addition, if there have been assumptions that the "intoxicated subject" referred to in the sheriff's news release was the fight victim, the sheriff's department told Blaze News that the intoxicated subject "did not have to do with the fight."
The sheriff's department added to Blaze News that only the Allen County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the case thus far.
The word "Outlaws," lettered in white, also appears on the attacking males' black clothing. WANE-TV reported that the Outlaws Motorcycle Club was linked to criminal activity in a 2013 federal case, in which a Fort Wayne Chapter member “engaged in extortion and the distribution of prescription drugs."
WANE said it went to Pike’s Pub and spoke with owner Kelley Rost, who was not at the bar Friday night — and the owner told the station the man refused to pay his bill and that "there are two sides to every story.”
As of 2:45 p.m. Saturday the bar removed their Facebook and Instagram pages, the station said, and the bar was closed Saturday while a sheriff's department vehicle was stationed in the parking lot. WANE added that it's unclear how long Pike's Pub will remain closed.
A pair of activists spoke to WANE as part of a follow-up story and are demanding justice for what they see as a racially motivated hate crime.
“All you have to do is listen for the hard R's in the background. All you have to do is listen to the chant of: beat him, beat him,” Roderick Parker told the station. “For me, it’s a hate crime."
Bri Andrews — who has organized a change.org petition with nearly 2,700 signatures as of Monday afternoon — told WANE, “When something like this happens, we are passionate people. We want to fight back. It’s really because we think justice won’t be served if we don’t do something right away.”
Parker added to WANE that "an ideal outcome for me after watching that video would be four to five arrests. A revocation of a liquor license, if not a closing down of a business.”
He also told the station that the “Outlaws are notoriously known across the country as a gang."
Andrews added to WANE, “If there is a pub that has alleged gang ties, why are we letting them get a pass?”
Andrews added to the station that she doesn't want "additional casualties" in the form of retaliation.
WANE also reported that a small group of people were seen Sunday protesting against Pike’s Pub from across the street.
“People have to see this. We have to push this out to the community, or it’s going to keep happening,” Reshon Coleman, one of the protesters, told the station. “Come forward if you’re an Outlaw or anything with a formal apology, anything. Pike’s, anything. ... We haven’t gotten anything.”
Coleman added to WANE, “At the end of the day, when you hurt one of us, you hurt all of us. This is for James, man.”
The station said it hasn't been able to confirm the name of the victim with authorities.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Want to leave a tip?
We answer to you. Help keep our content free of advertisers and big tech censorship by leaving a tip today.
Want to join the conversation?
Already a subscriber?
