Two arrested after viral nightclub brawl on San Antonio’s North Alamo Street

Two men are in custody over allegations they fired gunshots during a massive brawl early Sunday morning on a downtown stretch that some residents refer to as “San Antonio’s 6th Street.”

Viral clips of the chaotic melee on North Alamo Street near nightspots Bar House San Antonio and Bentley’s Beer Garden went viral on social media this weekend and continue to rack up views.

“This happened at Bar House/Bentley’s last night???,” @DINGOJOHNSON said in a Sunday afternoon tweet sharing footage of the fight. “Yeah, San Antonio too trash to go out at anymore. Ghetto as hell.”

San Antonio police responded to a call of a shooting in progress outside Bar House, 820 N. Alamo St., shortly after 2 a.m. Sunday, according to a report obtained Tuesday morning by the Current. When contacted Monday about the incident, SAPD officials initially said they had no documents to share about the incident.

The records shared Tuesday state police personnel arrested Joseph Reynaldo Olivarri after their arrival and charged him with unlawful carry of a weapon with a felony conviction, discharging a weapon in a municipality of more than 100,000 residents and theft of a firearm.

Bar House security jumped to break up a brawl that started on the street outside the nightclub shortly after last call, according to SAPD’s report. While security was dealing with the combatants, shots rang out from the parking lot behind the building.

Bar House security “tactfully advanced” in the direction of the shooting, the police report said. After witnesses identified Olivarri as the shooter, bar security apprehended the man and held him until police arrived, according to SAPD.

Police located a gun on the floorboard of a Nissan Altima near where Olivarri was apprehended, SAPD records show. Authorities later determined Olivarri was a convicted felon and the weapon was stolen, according to the report.

While police were dealing with the scene at Bar House, more gunshots reportedly erupted, and officers later apprehended a suspect involved in that separate burst of gunfire, the incident report said.

However, SAPD didn’t provide the Current with arrest details identifying that suspect.

In a statement to the Current, Bar House officials said the business had no involvement in the fight and ensuing gunfire.

“This incident took place after business hours and was on the public street,” Bar House said via an Instagram message. “The incident has nothing to do with Bar House San Antonio or any other establishments on N. Alamo St. Our staff will continue to strive to the highest degree of maintaining our establishment safe [sic].”

In a Sunday Facebook statement, Bentley’s also said it had no culpability in the fight.

“We appreciate our community and remain committed to providing a safe and fun atmosphere for everyone who visits,” the bar said.

Bentley’s went viral on social media in summer 2023 after users shared video of a man discharging an automatic weapon outside the nightclub. The clip led on some social media to compare San Antonio to the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise.

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This article appears in Feb 5-18, 2025.