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Bystander video shows a chaotic brawl in which a 28-year-old New York man was beaten to death at Pat’s King of Steaks in South Philadelphia.
The video shared with NBC10 shows a large group of men, some wearing Club America soccer jerseys, squaring up to people as some attempt to diffuse the situation. One man is seen laying motionless on the ground as another man pummels him, and still another man swings a metal trash can lid at someone else.
The brawl in the predawn hours of Thursday morning claimed the life of Isidro Cortés. His 64-year-old father and a 20-year-old friend were hospitalized.
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The group was in town after earlier attending the game between the Philadelphia Union and Mexican side Club America. Eduardo Rangel, Cortés' cousin, said they’d gone from the Union’s stadium in Chester, Pennsylvania, into Philadelphia to grab something to eat before heading back to New York.
Rangel said Cortés, a fellow Club America fan, began talking about soccer with the other group, since they were wearing Club America shirts.
"They were just talking about soccer and we decided to order the food. Meanwhile, he was talking and when we went back, we started eating and I just noticed that they started throwing punches at him. And we tried to defend him, but there were too many. There were like around 12 people,” Rangel said.
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At some point, one of the men beat Cortés in the head and face, police said. Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small told NBC10 that some of the other men kicked and punched Cortez when he was down.
Police got the call around 1:56 a.m. When they arrived around 10 minutes later, they found Cortés unresponsive. He was later pronounced dead.
“It’s tragic,” Rangel said.
Police said the suspects in the beating are four men in their 20s who were wearing yellow soccer jerseys with "Club America" written across them. Witnesses told detectives they saw some men packing into a mid-size, light-colored SUV before taking off northbound on Passyunk Avenue.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Philadelphia Police Homicide Unit at 215-686-3334 or leave an anonymous tip at 215-686-TIPS.
The cheesesteak shop, a popular local and tourist hangout, is the same location where a fight between a Philadelphia Eagles fan and a New York Giants fan led to a deadly shooting in July.
