A large-scale fight at a 7-Eleven in Manchester, New Hampshire, Friday night needed to be broken up with all city police working at the time, officials said, describing the scene as chaotic.
Two police officers were hurt in the melee and four people ended up charged with rioting, according to the Manchester Police Department.
The incident began with with a report of a robbery involving a gun at a 7-Eleven on Beech Street just before 7 p.m., police said. The person who called 911 said the suspect was still in the store at the time.
The first officers who arrived found many people inside and outside of the store. As officers tried to identify the armed suspect, two groups started fighting in the parking lot, police said.
Get New England news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NECN newsletters.
A "chaotic scene unfolded," police said in a statement, as more and more people got involved in the fight. Officers were attacked and assaulted as the situation escalated.
At one point, all working Manchester police officers were called to the scene to calm the "riotous behavior," police said.
Four people were arrested and officers ultimately determined that there had not been a robbery with a firearm, police said. An initial investigation revealed that both groups knew each other and the fights were the result of an ongoing conflict.
Two Manchester police officers were injured. Both were treated at a local hospital and discharged.
Police arrested 29-year-old George Stanley, of Manchester, who was charged with assault, felony riot and resisting arrest, as well as Manchester residents Richard Cooper, 24 and Howard Cooper, 25, and 29-year-old Alexander Cooper of Hooksett, who were all charged with felony riot and resisting arrest.
No further information was immediately available.
