Two Stabbed in Massive Row at Mexico Lindo

UPDATE: According to additional information provided by the Fredericksburg Police Department, Mexico Lindo owner Emilio Vego, age 46, of Manassas was arrested on Saturday for operating an unlicensed business. Vega was released by Fredericksburg Police on his own recognizance. Mexico Lindo was the scene of a rowdy, large bar brawl over the weekend. More information on that incident is below.

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Two people were stabbed over the weekend in a massive fight which erupted at Mexico Lindo, a popular Plank Road nightspot. During an investigation following the incident police discovered that the owners of Mexico Lindo does not have a current business license from the city of Fredericksburg.

"They will not be allowed to open for business at least until they obtain a license," said Natatia Bledsoe, public information officer for the Fredericksburg Police Department. 

Police first responded to Mexico Lindo around 10:30 p.m. on Friday night for reports of overcrowding. Upon arriving at the scene, police say they saw well over 300 people inside the building whose posted occupancy limit is 218. A security employee at the door stated that she counted 419 admissions, but says she did not count how many had exited. A fire marshal was briefly on the scene before being called away to deal with another incident on Caroline Street which police say turned out to be a "non-event."

One officer remained on the scene at Mexico Lindo to monitor the situation and ensure that people were not allowed inside until the crowd got smaller. 

Then, around 11:15 p.m., a large fight broke out inside the establishment, spilling out into the parking lot. Police say that at its height, it appeared that more than 200 people were involved as either participants, victims and witnesses to the incident. 

Police found a 19-year-old King William County resident who had been stabbed five times in the chest and back after bumping into someone on the dance floor. 

"This is what seems to have sparked the melee," said Natatia Bledso, public information officer for the Fredericksburg Police Department. 

Police found a second victim, an 18 year-old resident of West Point, Va., suffering from stab wounds to his left rib cage sustained during the fight. 

Both victims say they don't know who stabbed them.

Police also found two others suffering from medical issues in the aftermath of the fight. An 18-year-old woman was treated after being found collapsed and unresponsive but breathing at the rear of the business. A 78 year-old woman was also treated for seizures.

Additionally, some club goers were treated on the scene for minor facial injuries and exposure to pepper spray which club security deployed during the fracas. 

At least 12 police officers, three detectives, four ambulances and two fire trucks responded to the incident. Police cleared the scene at around 2:30 a.m. on Saturday morning, but the investigation continued at Mary Washington Hospital throughout the night.

This is the second high profile bar brawl in Fredericksburg in as many weeks. Police previously responded to a fand also discovered that that business doesn't have a business license on file with the city of Fredericksburg.