A city council meeting in Birmingham, Ala., took a bad turn when a fight broke out between the Mayor and a council member, sending both men to hospital. Though it is still unclear what started the fight between Mayor William Bell and City Councilor Marcus Lundy, Councilwoman Kim Rafferty said that the mayor and councilor have been involved in a power struggle for a while. "Boys need to grow up and be men and do the job they were elected to do. They need to sit across the table and talk about conflict resolution," Rafferty said, according to the Associates Press.
Police reports of the incident indicate Bell alleging that Lundy started a conversation and moved to "personal issues" before "cursing him and getting loud." Bell wanted to leave the room but was stopped by Lundy, who "grabbed him from behind and put him in a chokehold." The police report stated that Bell "had bruising on the right side of his neck and swelling to his left knee."
The incident was a result of ongoing "lack of respect. 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, according to Reuters.
Lundy faces assault charges, and an arrest warrant has been issued for him by the Birmingham Police Department. "It's extremely concerning, not just for me, but for our entire city so we'll conduct a thorough investigation and try to get to the bottom of exactly what happened and what precipitated this incident," Birmingham Police Chief A.C. Roper said, reported CNN.
If convicted, Lundy can get up to one year in jail and be fined $6,000.
