Post-Wedding Party Erupts Into Street Brawl; 12 Arrested

A dozen people were arrested Saturday night when a brawl at a Buena Park wedding reception spilled out into the street. Police said they found about 100 people fighting when they arrived.

The fracas began about 6:40 p.m. at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Hall, 6410 Homewood Ave., when a drunken reveler was thrown out by a security guard and attempted to force his way back in, Police Sgt. Terry Branum said.

VFW bartender Carlos Chavez said that the first blows he saw were exchanged between two ushers in the wedding party, and that the entire party was soon engulfed in the fracas. “It was quite a scene. The whole place emptied out into the street,” he said.

Buena Park dispatched 12 officers, who were assisted by 19 officers from Anaheim, La Palma and Fullerton. Police said they found about 100 men and women fighting on Homewood when they arrived, Branum said. Shortly after the police pulled up, the brawlers moved back into the hall and the party was broken up.

Those arrested on charges of assault and disturbing the peace were Gary Avila, 23; Johnnye Aguirre, 19; Darlene Woods, 18; Randolph Johnson, 22; Anthony Aguilera, 21; Jerome Velasquez, 24; Albert Ybarra, 30, and five juveniles. Neither the bride nor the groom, whose names were not available, was among those taken into custody, police said.