11 October 2010

Stabbing Mars Md. Oktoberfest Aftermath, Prompts Debate on Future at Fairground

A fight which resulted in two men being stabbed and a suspect in custody occurred at the Maryland State Fairgrounds on Saturday evening after the Brewers Association of Maryland Oktoberfest.  The incident occurred at approximately 6:30 pm, after the Oktoberfest had closed for the day, with most of the activity at the Cow Palace building in the northwestern corner of the Fairgrounds.  News media reports from The Patch, the Baltimore Sun, and WBAL-TV.  Nicholas Atkins, 27, from the 2400 block of Wilkens Avenue in southwestern Baltimore, was held by Baltimore County police.

Although other events were going on in the Fairgrounds that Saturday, including an arcade and video game show and auction at the Cow Palace in addition to the Oktoberfest at the Grandstand several hundred feet to the south, Baltimore County police say they believed alcohol played a part in the altercation and stabbing incident.  A suspect is in custody; two victims were hospitalized with what reports said were non-life-threatening injuries.

The Timonium Patch website is reporting that Fairgrounds officials are reconsidering whether to allow the Oktoberfest to return in 2011 and beyond:

Andy Cashmen, Maryland State Fairgrounds assistant manager, said in his 15 years working as an administrator, he has never heard of a grisly fight taking place on the property like the one that started shortly after Oktoberfest this past weekend.
An unprovoked attack that sent two men to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries Saturday evening has prompted Cashmen and fairgrounds general manager Howard "Max" Mosner to re-examine the beer festival, which may now be considered for relocation.
Representatives from the Trigger Agency, the event's promoters, did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
As a non-profit organization, the fairgrounds can be selective for which shows, expos and celebrations will be featured in one or more of the property's exhibition spaces.
"If we find it to be a problem, we don't have to have it here," Cashmen said. "We want to keep this place in good standing … in a positive light, without problems."
On a more positive note, The Patch also produced a video of the Oktoberfest, complete with a panel of tasting judges, which can be seen here.  (Turn down your speakers or headphone volume before clicking on the link, please.)

2 comments:

chwi said...

I stopped paying to go to this event about 2 years ago - I just had a bad feeling about the way the crowd was going.

I remember saying to my wife "One day, this is going to get out of hand."

After pouring for Brewer's Art last year, I was amazed that nothing, aside from your chipped camera lens, went haywire.

It just seemed too crazy, to the point where two proper, gentlemanly youths challenged two owners to a fight because they wouldn't fill completely their pint glasses.

Now, comes this.
And why do I have to know both the stabber and stabee from some more youthful association? WHY?!?!!

Anonymous said...

I was working for the video game auction that weekend. After the auction was over I was helping a video game vendor load up his truck with all the games he just bought. I see out of the corner of my eye a tall, stocky white male stumble into the cow palace. I walked inside and he was hold his shirt to his head blood all over his face, chest, and stomach. He walked into the mens bathroom and literally seconds later another man walks up to me and the guy I was helping out. He had a knife in his hand and said get the f*ck out of this building right now. We didnt know what to think, then he started trying to stab us. We ran to get help and as we made our way to the back of the building, he was slashing at an innocent videogame vendor, who was blocking the lunatic's slashes with a clipboard. Then he cut the guy in the arm, cutting through two arteries. Seconds later, someone came in and hit the suspect in the back of the head with a folding chair, knocking his drunk ass out cold. Then the cops and medics arrived. CRAZY NIGHT