Two patrons of The Underground, the University-sponsored dance club located in the Rathskeller, started a fight with each other early Sunday morning, causing Bryan Center officials to close the club about an hour earlier than usual.
The two club-goers, who were area college students, began fighting at approximately 1:45 a.m., said Rick Owen, manager of the Bryan Center. Although the door attendant at first attempted to separate the students, they continued to harass each other verbally, and one of them later broke free from the attendant and resumed the fight, Owen said.
Durham police officers who were present then stepped in and sprayed the two students with pepper spray, after which time they escorted them out of the facility.
"The use of the pepper spray was highly effective in ending the scuffle," Owen said. "It was over within seconds."
Trinity sophomore Angela Tsai, who was at the club when the fight occurred, said the incident made her and other students want to leave. "Suddenly everybody was pushed to the wall" as the fighting began, she said.
The incident occurred during The Underground's first so-called "open night." Open nights are ones during which Underground officials allow students from any area university to attend the club. This procedure stands in contrast to the usual policy, which permits only Duke students or their friends to attend. Owens said that some students came from as far away as East Carolina University, located in Greenville, N.C.
Yet because of the incident, Owen said that The Underground will most likely eliminate the open-night events, which were initially meant to increase the club's customer base.
Despite the fight, however, Owens said that club-goers should not fear for their safety in the future, adding that the club's security measures are extremely tight. "I truly do not expect this to happen ever again," he said. "This is the first time there's ever been a fight."
Owen emphasized that the door attendant is vigilant when checking students' identification, saying that students who could not provide proper student identification on Saturday were not allowed into the facility.
Owen said that, except for the fight, Saturday night business was otherwise good. "The fight really put a damper on everything," he said, adding that the scuffle was especially "unfortunate" because other club patrons appeared to be enjoying themselves.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.