Family feud turns into riot in small Ala. town

updated 8:10 p.m. ET Aug. 24, 2009

MARION, Ala. - Two Alabama families that had been fighting for years turned their feud into a full-scale riot Monday outside a small-town city hall, with up to 150 screaming people hurling tire irons and wielding baseball bats.

Eight people were arrested, and at least four were hurt, Trooper John Reese said. Two were taken to hospitals. The town's police chief was hit in the head with a crowbar but was OK.

The two- or three-year-old feud apparently prompted a fight earlier in the day at a high school, after a window was shot out of a home Sunday night. Then, "all hell broke loose" later in the day, said Sgt. Carlton Hogue of the Perry County Sheriff's Department.

"It was a full-scale riot is what it was," said Tony Long, mayor of the town of 3,300 about 85 miles west of Montgomery.

Hogue said the rioters were "throwing jack irons, throwing tire irons, anything they could get their hands on." Some people carried baseball bats and brooms.

Reese said two people were arrested at the high school during the initial disturbance. Relatives of the people who were arrested followed officers to police headquarters at city hall, and then the melee erupted.

Six more people were arrested at city hall, Reese said, and police called in reinforcements from surrounding cities. Some officers wore riot gear, and many planned to stay overnight to help maintain order.

Pointing fingers
The mayor said he wasn't sure what sparked the fracas.

"Everybody's trying to point the finger at everybody," he said.

Judson College, a church-affiliated women's school with about 300 students in downtown Marion, issued an alert asking students to stay out of the downtown area for 24 hours as a precaution.

More from msnbc.com Obama has miles to go to keep all his promises Loan guarantees recharge nuclear debate World Blog: The art of saying sorry in Japan Red Tape: Online flower prices still growing   Video: In hard-hit town, some economic hope  Haiti awash in Christian aid, evangelism

MORE FROM WEIRD NEWS

Weird news Section Front

Gulp! Sword artist’s record is hard to swallow Teen crashes car into school, drives down hall Suspected thief flees into police station Cow tips man and steps on him at UT campus Mumbling, fumbling, bumbling robber fails twice Pot smoker accused of trying to bribe urine tester World’s strangest Olympic souvenirs Two-inch LEGO gun gets 4th-grader in trouble Campaign to save Dave the libidinous banker ‘Car pool’ commuter nabbed with mannequin Weird news Section Front   Add Weird news headlines to your news reader: