MEMPHIS, TN (abc24.com) - Two brothers accused of fighting with Memphis officers on Beale Street, sending two cops to the hospital, tell a very different version of what happened.
The brawl on Beale started around 4:30 a.m. on Sunday, June 10. Police say Mario Bills and his brother, Myrus Williams, were asked to leave Beale Street because it was closed but instead of leaving, the brothers started throwing blows.
According to Bills, the fight started when Williams was leaving Club 152. "As he was walking up the police gathered around him," he says, "they just came from everywhere."
Williams says officers Christopher Brown, Joseph Vale, and Robert Forbert came as he was talking to Officer Kenneth Gibbs, who was telling him and his wife to leave Beale because it was closing. Then, he says, "They punched her, they punched me."
Williams says at first everything was cordial and respectful between him and Gibbs but that quickly changed. "We went from laughing and joking to defending ourselves."
Police say they were only defending themselves after Bills punched officer Gibbs in the face.
That's when Williams charged the officers from behind and according to the police report, tried to grab Officer Christopher Brown's gun.
Bills says that's just not true.
"One of the officers pushed me and I fell and I reached up trying to catch myself so I guess he thought I was trying to attack him but he bum rushed me and all the other officers came," says Bills.
The brothers were pepper-sprayed by officers and placed under arrest.
Bills is charged with 3 counts of simple assault as well as aggravated assault on a police officer, while Williams is facing two counts of assault on an officer. Both brothers are out on bond and scheduled to be back in court later this month.
