Family feud turns into full-out riot in small Alabama town

In a town with a population of around 3,500 people, you certainly notice it when 150 or more of your neighbours start a riotous brawl in the downtown area.

Reports are just now trickling out of Marion, Alabama, where two families who have been feuding for years had an all-out fisticuffs earlier Monday. The families were armed with tire irons and baseball bats, and there were injuries to people, including the police chief. No one really knows what set off the melee, which saw "... all hell broke loose” according to Sargent. Carlton Hogue of the Perry County Sheriff’s Department, but some reports say someone from one side of the feuding families shot out the window at a house of a family member from the "other side" Sunday night. Other reports, however, cite a basketball game as the instigation for the outbreak of violence. Hogue told press that the rioters were "throwing jack irons, throwing tire irons, anything they could get their hands on." Some reports say up to 300 people were involved in the wild cat free-for-all that really got rocking around 8:30 in the morning. The town is currently "locked down" for the night, and outside help from up to ten different agencies is on the scene in an attempt to maintain order for the night. Reports differ, with some saying four people have been arrested thus far, and others saying eight arrests have been made. It's a similar story for reported injuries. More accurate details will come out over the next few days.