We all know that politics can get pretty heated sometimes, but it’s rare that grown men actually come to blows during a meeting at City Hall. Well that’s exactly what took place Tuesday in Birmingham, Alabama.
CNN reported that the city’s Mayor William Bell and City Councilor Marcus Lundy had a verbal dispute during a council meeting, which escalated to violence after they went to a private room.
In the video clip, you can hear the men shouting and one repeatedly yelling “No!” from outside the council chamber before a recess is called.
When things were said and done, both men had minor injuries and said they were each pressing charges against the other.
A police report, however, identifies Bell as the victim and says Lundy is accused of assault.
A statement issued by Mayor Bell’s office said that he was recovering at the hospital and will be having a CT scan and an MRI done.
The mayor told police that instead of trying to talk out their differences, Lundy brought up "personal issues" before "cursing him and getting loud." He then alleges that the councilor “grabbed him from behind and put him in a chokehold” and was stopped by two of his aids who walked in the room.
"It's a sad day when council members are attacked while trying to do the job that they were elected to do," city council president Johnathan Austin said.