Groom hit in the head after brawl erupts at wedding reception hall

Article by: Anthony Lonetree , Star Tribune
Updated: August 20, 2007 - 10:58 PM

Groom gets hit in the head in post-wedding melee.

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A wedding celebration early Sunday in St. Paul ended with a fight outside the rental hall, three men in jail and the groom in a hospital emergency room.

Fernando Benitez Diaz, 23, was doing "OK" Monday, his brother-in-law said, after a hospital visit that authorities described as mainly a precautionary measure.

The groom was hit on the head during a brawl that police say included as many as 40 to 50 people -- not all of them throwing punches.

The fight broke out, police said, as guests were leaving the party at Arcade Phalen American Legion Post 577, 1129 Arcade St., shortly after midnight Saturday.

Police spokesman Tom Walsh said at least eight to 10 officers arrived at the scene and apparently were so busy breaking up the fight that they never found out how it started. Walsh said he could find no explanation in the police reports.

The three men who were jailed -- ages 22, 24 and 33 -- were arrested for charges that included disorderly conduct and obstructing the legal process.

No assault charges?

"Probably the cops couldn't figure out who hit whom," Walsh said.