FORT WORTH -- Disc jockey Johnny Marquez may never again play Butterfly Kisses at a wedding reception.
That's because a near riot broke out as he was playing the song during a wedding reception Friday night at the Worthington Renaissance Fort Worth Hotel's ballroom.An incident between a couple of wedding guests and off-duty Fort Worth police officers was triggered when the hotel closed one of three bars in the ballroom, and quickly escalated into a brawl the likes of which the hotel's general manager, Bob Jameson, has never seen."It was not a typical Friday night by any stretch of the imagination," Jameson said. "We're fortunate that we have a good working relationship with the Fort Worth Police Department, and we're pleased to work with them through whatever they need to do to investigate the event. I would imagine they're still investigating."Fort Worth police did not respond to emails or voice messages from the Star-Telegram, but in a report written by officer J.W. Reynolds, he said that he and officer D. Frazier were asked to move from their original posts outside the ballroom to the two remaining bars."[A] manager came to us and asked that we station ourselves near one of the three bars in the Grand Ballroom because the guests were reaching over the bar and trying to steal bottles of liquor or beer," Reynolds wrote.Reynolds also reported that hotel management grew increasingly worried about the "propensity for violence of the partygoers."About 10:20 p.m., the two remaining bars were closed, and wedding guest Edward McDonald got angry, according to the report.He yelled at Reynolds using racially charged, expletive-filled language. Another guest pulled McDonald away from the confrontation.Later, Reynolds wrote that he saw a crowd that included McDonald threatening Frazier.Reynolds drew his Taser and convinced McDonald to leave. But as the officer was escorting McDonald out, a relative of the subject, Martin McDonald, attacked Reynolds, kneeing the officer in the leg, according to the police report.Reynolds shocked Martin McDonald with his Taser, "immediately incapacitating him," according to the police report.Wedding guests crowded closer to the officers, who ended up standing back-to-back over a now-handcuffed Martin McDonald, according to the report. The crowd assaulted the officers, grabbing their arms and pelting them with ice and liquids, according to the report. The officers called for backup and "held our ground until a number of units arrived," Reynolds wrote.As other officers arrived, wedding guests -- about 350 were in attendance -- began leaving the ballroom. Martin McDonald was arrested and held on a charge of assault on a public servant. Edward McDonald was arrested on accusations of making terroristic threats. A third man, Peter McNally, was arrested on charges of public intoxication and assault by offensive contact, according to the police report.Marquez said he was in the valet area about 11 p.m. when dozens of wedding guests and officers began to pour out of the hotel."There were still people trying to get to the officers, getting into their faces," he said.The crowd continued to hurl curses and drinks at police as they waited for valets to bring their vehicles, Marquez said. By 11:15 p.m., Maquez said, everything was calm."The groom apologized to me after the incident when I was taking my equipment down," Marquez said. "He said, 'Man this was a crazy night.' I said, 'Tell me about it.'"Terry Evans, 817-390-7620Twitter: @fwstevansHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
