"Shots Fired" Tempe Frat Party Turns into Massive Chaotic Fight

Faline · #1 ● 04-30-2013, 04:55 PM

An ASU fraternity party spiraled out of control into an all-out brawl. It's not the first off-campus ASU party that's ended in violence. But the violence in this incident escalated from frat boy fighting into baseball bats and gun shots.

911 caller: "Hi please come to 1925 E. Hayden Road [sound of gunshots, screaming] oh my god oh my god oh god!"

A party hosted members of an ASU fraternity erupted into chaos after someone pulled out a gun and opened fire.

This surveillance video is from inside a Tempe apartment complex where many of the fraternity members live.

And now, people around there are fed up. They want to know what's being done to put an end to the frat boy violence.

Five ASU students were hurt in this fight. One person was hit in the head with a baseball bat. Thankfully, nobody was hit by gunfire.

Police and the city are trying to crack down, but this is a tough problem to solve.

This weekend's fight started when two young men came into the complex looking for one of their girlfriends. She didn't want to leave, and they ended up fighting with members of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity who were throwing a party.

The two men later came back with some more friends, a baseball bat and a gun.

Caller: "Guy with a baseball bat, no shirt came out of a car and smashed somebody in the face!"

911: "White male, black, Hispanic male?"

Caller: "White male [sound of gunshots] -- gunfire get down get down get down get inside get in the car get in the car!"

So far police have arrested 5 people. Turns out this is the second big fight at this apartment complex near Broadway and McClintock. Back in December, a fight between two rival fraternities was caught on tape too.

At ASU, fraternities invading apartment complexes has become very common.

Nothing is left of Alpha Drive. The university tore all the houses down. And by doing so it sent all the members looking for new places to live.

Many of them ended up moving into apartment complexes like the one where this fight broke out. And Tempe police say it becoming a problem.

"These young individuals, whether they are students or just young adults, they have to understand their role in our society and going out, having loud parties drinking to excess. Having brawls, getting involved in traffic accidents, assaulting one another. Gunshots. Baseball bats. We can't have that," says Tempe Police Chief Tom Ryff.

So far this school year, Tempe police have responded to 689 loud party calls.

"You have got people all over the place. Beer bottles all over the place. Broken beer bottles all over the place," says Thomas Simon, who lives on the street where the fight broke out.

"The police have to show a presence, not after something happens but before something happens and they don't."

But the city and police are working on plan. The Tempe City Council may soon approve an ordinance that will give police the power to cite not only partygoers, but also landlords.

"These young individuals as well as the property owners, they have to respect the right of our community and that is what we are trying to do," says Chief Ryff.

The city is also considering capping the number of fraternity members who can live at one complex.

"While going to ASU and living in Tempe, we want you mindful of your actions and how it does affect the neighborhood," says Tempe Mayor Mark Mitchell.

ASU told us today that they are working with fraternities and sororities to move them into campus housing for the fall semester.

As for the city ordinance, city attorneys are still working out all the details but they're expecting to bring it to a vote soon.