Large families brawl at Chuck E. Cheese's

FORT MYERS, Fla., Jan. 7 (UPI) -- Police in Florida said they were called to a Chuck E. Cheese's restaurant when a disagreement between two families erupted into a melee.

Witnesses said the incident Saturday at the Fort Myers location began as an argument between two children about game tickets and escalated when their parents got involved, WBBH-TV, Fort Myers, reported Tuesday.

"The two family members just got into a big brawl. All of the family members were hitting each other," said a parent who asked to be identified only as Ashley.

Ashley said she and her two children watched as about 10 to 15 family members on each side of the dispute became involved.

"Food was flying and drinks, then she took the metal thing off the table and threw it," the witness said.

The mother said someone used pepper spray during the fight, affecting everyone inside the eatery.

"We were coughing and stuff. So when the cops got there, we went outside and left. I just wanted to make sure it was safe," she said.

The Fort Myers Police Department said most of the people involved in the brawl were gone by the time officers arrived. No arrests were made.

"We are deeply saddened that individuals would choose to behave in this manner in front of children and families," Chuck E. Cheese's corporate office said in a statement. "We take altercations in our stores very seriously and have spent more than $15 million to date on measures to help ensure the safety of our guests. As an environment dedicated to serving young children and families, Chuck E. Cheese's will not tolerate violence of any kind in our stores."