Priest, Minister, and Rabbi arrested after deadly bar brawl

A priest, a minister, and a rabbi have been arrested following a deadly brawl in an Oakland comedy club Friday night.

What was supposed to be an open mic comedy event turned into a violent free-for-all for patrons of Witty’s Bar and Comedy Club, after an argument between three local religious leaders escalated into a bar room brawl that left three dead and several more injured.

Witnesses say the argument began when a Catholic priest accused a Protestant minister of spilling his drink. Local comedian Harry Johnson was at the bar ordering a drink when the incident occurred.

“I hear this commotion next to me, so I look over and this priest is covered in beer and yelling at a guy, saying ‘You owe me a drink!'”

The other man, who was a Protestant minister, took issue with the priest’s demand. Witnesses say he began insulting the priest, making references to the Catholic Church’s various child sex abuse scandals.

“The minister starts yelling back at the priest, telling him to stay away from playgrounds.”, Johnson said. “It would’ve been kind of funny if it hadn’t escalated as much as it did.”

And escalate it did. Within moments the heated argument came to blows. A rabbi, who had been sitting nearby, attempted to intervene and break up the fight, only to be dragged into it himself.

“The rabbi’s trying to get these men to stop fighting, and they turned on him instead,” recounted Patricia, a regular patron at Witty’s. “I felt bad for the guy, he was just trying to help.”

When the rabbi tried to split the priest and the minister up, the two redirected their aggression at him. Witnesses say the priest and the minister began assaulting the rabbi, while using ethnic slurs.

“The priest and the other guy stopped fighting each other and started fighting the rabbi,” a witness who wished to remain unnamed said. “They’re calling him all these names, like ‘Christ killer’ and ‘Shylock’. It was the most disgraceful thing I’ve ever seen.”

Other patrons soon joined the frenzy, flipping tables and throwing chairs and other objects. Two elderly women were hit with wooden chairs and died in transit to the hospital. Another patron, a middle aged man, was stabbed several times with a fork. Responders pronounced him dead at the scene. Six others were taken to Oakland Community Medical Center for injuries sustained during the brawl. Four have been released, while the other two remain in critical condition.

When police arrived most of the commotion had already subsided and many involved had fled the scene, but several other patrons were arrested alongside the three religious leaders. Police say most will face charges of assault and property damage, but for the religious leaders things may be a little more serious.

“These guys basically started a riot,” Oakland Police Captain James Ryder told reporters. “Their fight led to the deaths of three innocent people. The DA could be looking at involuntary manslaughter charges here. It’s very serious.”

Under California state law, involuntary manslaughter is typically defined as the unintentional killing of someone without malice, and carries a potential prison sentence of up to four years and fine of up to $10,000.

The priest, minister, and rabbi are currently being held without bail awaiting trial.

Last Updated on May 12, 2025