Patrons fear force used by Conch House security

It was like deja vu all over again when Historic City News learned of last night’s brawl at the Conch House during “Reggae Sunday”. Two years ago, former Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew found himself in the middle of a civil lawsuit over injuries inflicted on a security officer at the event — no criminal charges were brought.

Supposedly the incident started when two women got into a fight and several witnesses say security became “overly aggressive”. One victim was “knocked unconscious”, thrown into the water, then pulled out after the man started “drowning”.

This time, however, it is not necessary to hunt for sketchy security video or decipher he-said-she-said accounts of who hit who. At least two patrons armed with smartphone cameras made recordings of several minutes of security guards and Conch House guests in what can only be described as a brawl. Witnesses at the scene described bouncers beating up customers.

The videos were published on facebook and YouTube by Jason Law, and clips broadcast by Jacksonville television stations, including CBS-47 and FOX-30 Action News.

A check of booking records at the St Johns County Jail finds no arrests as of this evening. Historic City News has requested a copy of the incident report from St Augustine Police; however, the department does not have a public information officer at night, on weekends, or on holidays. Police continue to investigate the incident.