(CBS) NEW YORK
There's March Madness, and then there's March Badness.
A wild melee broke out at a high school basketball game inside Madison Square Garden on Sunday night between high school students, police officers, and others in attendance. The fight then spilled into the streets, and at one point shots were fired, police said.
CBS 2 has exclusive video of hundreds of fans fighting in the stands and of NYPD officers racing through the streets in response to continued violence. Cops reportedly made 21 arrests, though that number could still grow as the details of the melee are finally sorted out.
Fans got into a brawl with each other and police during the Public Schools Athletic League's AA division city championship game between Brooklyn rivals Lincoln and Boys & Girls.
Once the melee started, the public address announcer inside the Garden could be heard saying: "What the (bleep) is wrong with y'all? Come on!"
The first image CBS 2 cameras captured was a girl slapping a boy. The boy then swung around and tried to punch her. Other boys jumped him and then the NYPD moved in.
Things eventually began to calm down, but the battle, as it turns out, was far from over.
Another image showed a cop pulling a fan over a railing and then other cops joining in as they beat him with Billy clubs.
The male, who was wearing a brown jacket, was pulled over the railing by school safety officers and appeared to not be resisting, but four officers are seen beating him. Two of the officers struck the boy several times with their batons.
The entire episode started on the court after a hard foul was called. Lincoln point guard Devon Petersen was then pushed by Boys & Girls' Frederi Nixon. However, Petersen went after Boys & Girls' Antonio Johnson, thinking he had shoved him. Referees separated the two players.
However, the incident ignited several fights in the stands.
As more and more NYPD officers started showing up, the huge brawl spilled out into the streets, and the violence continued.
Police said shots were fired as the crowd moved from the Garden to Times Square, and then into a subway station, where cops and teens continued to clash.
The NYPD called in reinforcements, including officers on horseback, on scooters and in riot gear.
CBS 2 cameras followed police officers as they ran down into one subway station that serves the 1, 2 and 3 lines to respond to screams for help.
Some of those involved in the brawl are believed to have escaped on subways.
So, when all the dust settled from the fight, who won the game? Lincoln trounced Boys & Girls, 77-50.
Please stay with CBS 2 and wcbstv.com for more on this developing story.
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Originally Posted by George Anderson
