I know of some Baptist's fights, but nothing like this...A disagreement over religious views at the Khadeeja Islamic Center in West Valley City Friday afternoon escalated into a 100-person melee, police said.
The fight started about 2:30 p.m. after the midday prayer, which routinely draws large crowds to the mosque, located at 1019 W. Parkway Ave., said West Valley City Police Lt. Bill Merritt. Two different groups whose "religious views vary a little bit" attend the mosque, Merritt said, and sometimes get into verbal spats.
As the crowded parking lot emptied Friday, one such disagreement between a 26-year-old man and a juvenile turned violent when the man pulled out a box cutter, Merritt said. Another man drew a knife to defend the juvenile, starting the fight. Nearly100 people were pulled into the conflict before police broke up the fight, which resulted in a few minor wounds.
The three people who started fighting were arrested on suspicions of aggravated assault; the two men were booked into the Salt Lake County jail while the juvenile was taken to a juvenile detention center. Attempts to reach the mosque for comment on Saturday were unsuccessful.