Brawl between 40 people breaks out at waterpark over alleged use of racial slurs

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- A brawl involving 40 people broke out at a water park over the alleged use of racial slurs, leaving at least one person hospitalized, police say.

It happened over the weekend between a white family and a black family at Wave Country in Nashville.

Tyrone Holt told WZTV a white man yelled racial slurs at his family and beat them up.

"They tried to gang me, so I just started trying to defend myself. Next thing I knew, I was on the ground, kicked and punched," Holt said.

Holt's hand and eye socket were broken in the fight. He also had a metal plate implanted in his face.

Holt says he wanted police to press charges. However, according to authorities, they did not because there's no clear way to identify who is the victim and who is the villain in the incident.

Jonathan Sellers' family says they were the ones who were racially insulted and defended themselves.

"They had their kids throwing stuff at us, calling us white trash this and that, and all kind of craziness," Sellers said.

Both families agree that this all started when a man from the white family bumped into the floats of three black girls.

That's when the girls allegedly told their parents Sellers called them racial slurs, but he disagrees.

Police had to separate 40 people in the brawl. Both families accuse Wave Country of not having enough security.

The waterpark released a statement on the incident:

"We are very concerned about the incident that took place at Wave Country on Saturday. The safety and well-being of our customers is our highest priority. While an internal investigation is underway, we will continue to provide access and recreational opportunities to everyone in Davidson County."

Wave Country did not immediately respond when asked if they have security on site.

Both families told WZTV they plan to file charges against Wave Country, holding them partially responsible for what happened.