There are fan fights — and then there are fan fights where fans get a finger bitten off.
That was the case in a brawl on Friday between Bruins and Coyotes supporters at Mullett Arena in Tempe, Ariz. One fan video shows the brawl going on for about 40 seconds before police started to interject.
The fan who lost the digit was Stephen Rocha, though it is impossible to identify him in the video. But he was transported to the hospital, according to authorities.
The fan who did the biting was arrested for aggravated assault, while five others were given citations for their respective roles in the melee. A police officer was also injured trying to break up the fight.
“According to the police report, the individual arrested for aggravated assault bit the tip of another individual’s finger completely off during the brawl,” Arizona State University Police said, according to Fox 10 in Phoenix. “For clarification, the victim of the assault was involved in the fight. Also, none of the individuals involved have any affiliation with the university.”
Coyotes CEO Xavier Gutierrez confirmed to SportsNet during the NHL Board of Governors meetings in Florida on Monday that the fan lost a finger.
The Coyotes are playing this season at Arizona State’s 5,000-seat hockey arena for at least the next three seasons after their lease ran out at their Glendale arena and the city opted to not to renew the lease.
On the bright side for fans of the team, the Coyotes did win the game, 4-3.
This story originally appeared on NYPost
