King of Hammers brawl noticed by Morongo Basin Sheriff Station
A brawl involving multiple people alleged to be part of the King of the Hammers gathering has circulated on social media.
The video is about 90 seconds long and shows more than a dozen people punching, tackling, and assaulting each other. A crowd gathers to watch, commentate, and at one point shoot fireworks into mayhem.
The video is described as taking place in or around Hammertown in the Johnson Valley OHV Area. Hammertown is the community that springs up around the annual King of the Hammers off-roading event, and this year has drawn hundreds of thousands of visitors who camp for weeks at a time.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department provided a statement about the incident, saying “We are aware of a video that appears to have been recorded at the King of the Hammers event. A report has been taken, and the incident is currently under investigation. Currently, no victims or witnesses have come forward to report the incident to the Morongo Basin Station. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Detective Dean at the Morongo Basin Station at 760-366-4175.”
At Tuesday’s (February 3) meeting of the Yucca Valley Town Council, the Sheriff’s Morongo Basin Station Captain Steve Scovel discussed the issues, saying,
“We’ve had very few major incidents. Early on in the event we did have one subject air lifted out, but nothing critical. Our biggest problems are night time after hours up at ‘Chocolate Thunder.’ Some of you may have seen the social media posts of the fights. We had one that probably involved between 10 and 20 people. Fireworks were being thrown at them… this was never reported to us. We are investigating that after the fact. We know that at the Chocolate Thunder area there has been a lot of drinking and a lot shenanigans.”
Anyone who witnesses a crime in progress or after the fact at the King of the Hammers is encouraged to call 911 to report it to law enforcement.
