SAN ANTONIO -- Brawlers are racking up notoriety in San Antonio while flying under the radar of law enforcement.
Street fight videos posted from spots around the city gather hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube, a trend some in local enforcement believe could be drawing the wrong kind of attention.
The fights, which appear to be organized bare-knuckle boxing matches, have been getting posted for years. The biggest of them -- a four-person match near a McDonald's on Ingram Hill -- has been viewed well over 600,000 times and has been reposted by street-fight enthusiasts around the country.
The worst part is that there appear to be high school kids looking on, Northside ISD Police Chief Charles Carnes said.
"It's horrifying. It's something you're not going to forget quickly," Carnes said. "You wonder where their parents are."
The fighters often use street names like LUNGZ, GIK, or S.M.O.G. The bloody events have managed to avoid attention from SAPD, sheriff's deputies and even neighborhood watches. And there is no record of the fights other than the videos and graffiti left behind in the hidden spots where they occur.
Carnes said even if the competitors are only hurting themselves, they're turning the spectators into victims.
"If a parent doesn't fit that spot, somebody will. They'll start getting into the activities -- or the potential activities -- of what we saw in these videos."
Spokespeople with the Bexar County Sheriff's Office said it isn't uncommon for gang members to settle scores with fists, although there is no reason to believe the fights are connected or put on for any reason other than notoriety. Deputies said this is not something unique to San Antonio.
Those who encounter any of these fights can reach out to San Antonio police or one of their local neighborhood liaisons through the SAPD SAFFE program.
