Brawl breaks out at Kowloon Restaurant on Thanksgiving eve: ‘Unacceptable and disgusting'

Police in Saugus, Massachusetts, are investigating after a fight broke out on Thanksgiving eve at Kowloon Restaurant.

Saugus police confirmed Friday that there was an altercation involving several people at the iconic restaurant around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday. Six officers who were already working at the restaurant as part of a detail were able to deescalate the situation, police said.

State troopers arrived on scene shortly after but Saugus police had already broken up the fight. State police did stay to help disperse the crowd, as restaurant management decided to close the bar and restaurant early because of the bloody melee.

“The Kowloon is a family-friendly restaurant, unfortunately a few unruly patrons ruined a nice evening for many others," Chief Michael Ricciardelli said in a statement. "A disturbance such as this on Thanksgiving Eve is unacceptable and disgusting.”

No arrests were made, police said, but several young men who were involved in the dispute were detained and questioned by police.

The focus at the time was to provide medical treatment to those who needed it, according to police. There was no word on how many people were injured.

Video shared on social media showed a truly chaotic scene, looking more like a fight club than a restaurant with people throwing punches and bloodied faces.

NBC10 Boston's Ryan Kath spoke to one of the business owners about the incident that's now under investigation by police.

"When I heard that it was on social media and all the people who were watching it, I was like, Oh my god, I guess that’s the good and bad of being popular," said Bob Wong, whose family owns the institution along Route 1.

Wong says the popular family restaurant on the North Shore is especially busy on the night before Thanksgiving.

The fight came just hours after Kowloon said it was "very grateful" on Facebook for the hundreds of customers who had gathered outside the restaurant for their pre-Thanksgiving meal, posting photos that showed a line of customers waiting to get inside for Chinese food.

See more

"You know we’re not really known for a place with people getting drunk and having fights," Wong said. "Back in the old days, it would’ve just been a fight. But because social media is involved, it becomes bigger than it is. It’s a little more sensationalized I guess."

Wong knows the videos that were posted online of the disturbance will get more clicks because of the name recognition of the restaurant, but he says even with extra precautions, there's no way of predicting when emotions will boil over.

"Every once in a while, you get two people together whether it’s here, at a football game, anywhere, it can happen anywhere, it could happen in your own house. You got family members who don’t get along," he said.

Police are still looking to speak with witnesses, and anyone with information is asked to contact the Saugus Police Department.

While no arrests have been made, police did say Friday that an investigation is ongoing and charges may be forthcoming, nothing that one person used a glass bottle in the fight -- which is a felony.

NBC10 Boston spoke with Saugus Select Board Chair Debra Panetta about the incident and she said elected leaders will receive a separate, detailed report from police. They will then decide if any action should be taken against the establishment’s liquor license.