IguanaKellyCop

IguanaKellyCopA Long Beach man was arrested and another was transfered to a local hospital after a fight broke out at Iguana Kelley’s on Friday night.

Long Beach Police Department officers were flagged down regarding the fight at 4306 E. Anaheim Street at about 7:20PM, said LBPD spokeswoman Marlene Arrona.

The Long Beach Fire Department assisted and transported a man with minor injuries to a local hospital.

Police arrested 37-year-old Jerome Davis of Long Beach for public intoxication. He posted bail and was released Saturday, Arrona said.

The investigation is ongoing.

Steve Guillen, the owner of Iguana Kelley’s, provided the following response to the situation:

The gentleman that caused an issue was an unknown man that had been passing through, who was believed to have issues with mental illness. Mr. Davis, an African-American Iraq Veteran, was a customer inside our bar. He was called out by this mentally ill man with dropping the “n” word. Mr. Davis tried several times to defuse the situation only to be attacked by four punches. After the four punches, Mr. Davis proceeded to protect himself & control the situation. Unfortunately, Mr. Davis was upset for being detained and officers proceeded to arrest him. Officers provided great support. I’m in the process of updating this report with video footage of the incident. Safety is our number one concern, and my wife and I do not support any type of violence. Further steps have been taken by our staff when handling a mentally ill person that is passing by. Thank you for your support.

Editor’s note: the statement above was provided by the owner after the publication of this article.

Above: The scene outside Iguana Kelly’s at around 7:40PM on Friday. Photo by Marlo Miller.

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