Alabama mayor withdraws complaint after fight at city hall

Birmingham Police Lt. Sean Edwards said in an email that Lundy would be given the courtesy to turn himself in “like any other citizen”.

Lundy was charged with third degree assault after he and Mayor William Bell got into a fight at City Hall on Tuesday morning.

The city council issued a statement Wednesday on Lundy’s behalf.

Both men went to a hospital for treatment of injuries.

Video of the council meeting caught the sound of someone yelling “whoa, whoa, whoa before a banging commotion was heard”. The council meeting ended early.

The mayor’s spokeswoman April Odom distributed a municipal court filing showing that a warrant for Lundy’s arrest had been withdrawn. A formal police report has been initiated and will be ready for release in the next hour. Bell said Lundy started to change the subject and tried talking to him about a personal issue.

According to the report, Bell told Lundy to stop until two of Lundy’s assistants – Jose Perry and Chris Moseley – opened the door and pulled the councilman off Bell.

The police report says Mayor Bell turned to leave and grabbed the door but Lundy pushed it closed.

Bell, a former council member, has been mayor since 2010.

Bell told police that Lundy got angry with him during a closed-door meeting outside council chambers and put him in a choke hold as he tried leaving the room.

Lundy claimed Bell was the one who started the fight.

The report said Bell had bruising on his neck and a swollen left knee.

Police were dispatched to City Hall at 9:58 a.m.

“Councilor Lundy sincerely appreciates the many prayers and thoughtful calls he and his family have received during this very hard time”, the statement says.

AL.com reporter Jeremy Gray photographed Lundy’s injuries. Well that’s exactly what took place Tuesday in Birmingham, Alabama. A charge Bell denied, according to AL.com. Both sides alleged that they were attacked, but WIAT 42 spoke to council member Kim Rafferty who said she is fed up.

“Regardless of the location, violence is never the answer”, Roper said.

The altercation is the latest escalation of a contentious relationship between the mayor and the council, and it continued to play out in statements released after the fight. Austin showed photos of scrapes on the back of Lundy’s left leg.

“Having been informed by the complainant that he desires the warrant to be withdrawn, it is hereby removed from active status immediately”, the order states.

“We are better than that as a city”. “This is a democracy, not a dictatorship”.