Fights break out at large Florida weekend boat party

(NewsNation) — Multiple fights broke out Saturday, video shows, during a large boat party in Florida called “Mayhem at Lake George 2022.”

The annual weekend gathering featured blue skies, warm weather and music as it drew large crowds and hundreds of boaters near Daytona Beach.

“It was probably 750 boats, maybe. Maybe even more,” Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said.

Among the revelers, however, were several people in swimsuits seen on video exchanging blows near what police describe as a barge housing a DJ booth.

“You’re gonna need rescue,” police said over radio. “You’ve got one guy on the deck, looks like he’s unconscious, bleeding heavily from the face.”

It’s unclear what led up to the fights. But at least one person was seriously hurt and several others were arrested or cited after the event, according to local news reports.

Video from the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office shows a male being transported by stretcher from a police boat to a waiting helicopter to be airlifted to an area hospital. He was strapped to the stretcher and wearing what looks to be a neck brace.

According to Chitwood, it was a difficult rescue.

“We can’t get our boats in there because all the boats are tied together,” he said. “They actually had to guide us in, push us in by hand, so we could get resources on the barge.”

The Sheriff’s Office tweeted several photos from the event, saying “Patrolling ‘Mayhem at Lake George 2022’ today was a team effort.”

NewsNation affiliate WFLA contributed to the report.