Factions clash at Fla. town hall meeting

TAMPA, Fla., Aug. 6 (UPI) -- Police broke up a raucous crowd outside a Tampa, Fla., town hall meeting on healthcare Thursday, and a fistfight broke out inside the meeting, witnesses said.

Hundreds of people turned out for the meeting at the Children's Board of Hillsborough County, and people on opposing sides yelled and chanted outside, WTSP-TV, Tampa Bay, reported.

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor and Florida state Rep. Betty Reed, both Democrats, called the meeting.

As the meeting space filled, protesters unable to get inside banged on windows, and police guarded entrances to the building, the report said.

A photojournalist for WTSP said at least one fistfight broke out inside the hall.

The town hall ended ahead of schedule, the TV station said.