Fight Breaks Out Between Wedding Parties at Philly's Sheraton Society Hill

A 15-year-old in Philadelphia to celebrate his birthday recorded part of a fight that broke out between dozens of guests from two wedding parties at the Sheraton Society Hill Hotel early Sunday morning. The altercation, authorities say, was fueled by booze and began in the lobby bar before spilling out into the lobby. The video, shot from the balcony above the lobby, shows police officers with batons attempting to control the crowd. At one point, it appears one of the brides becomes detained by officers, and you can hear screams of panic throughout the entire clip.

Had that been it � drunk wedding guests hell bent on ruining a beautiful occasion � this story would be just another Hotel Guests Behaving Badly moment. However, while it's currently unknown if he was directly involved with the fight, a 57-year-old man suffered a heart attack during the incident, collapsing outside the hotel and passing away at Jefferson Hospital shortly after. NBC Philadelphia reports that the man was one of the bride�s uncles. You can see the video of the fight here, as well as some raw news footage from outside the hotel.

There are many forms of outrageous hotel chatter that we find ourselves enjoying, even if it isn�t of the most uplifting variety. We�re about hotel news here � the good, bad, and ugly � and we try to make the best of bad situations and keep a sense of humor as we navigate the news feeds. So when a celebrity destroys a hotel room or sticks them with a $46,000 tab, we feel it�s not only our duty to share the juicy deets, but to have a little fun with it in the process. They smashed a few lamps? Ok, not the best behavior to model, but not life threatening.

And far be it for us to discourage anyone from having a good time at the lobby bar, but it is this type of story that reminds us that hotel stays can be a dream or a nightmare. Our thoughts go out to the families, and we hope this can be a reminder that actions have consequences outside of a bill for damages. Forget the broken tables and glasses � there's an even bigger debt here.

The Sheraton Society Hill has declined to comment specifically on the incident, only offering a brief statement:

�We continue to cooperate with the authorities, and as this is an on-going police investigation any questions should be directed to the local police department. Our sincerest condolences go out to the family for their loss.�

Stay tuned for more details, specifically surrounding the hotel�s handling of the situation and its outreach to other guests who were disturbed and/or disrupted by the fight.

[Photos: CBS News (via YOUTUBE) and Starwood Hotels]

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