GALVESTON, Texas -- It was a night that should have been a celebration of a family’s joy and a couple’s love.

Instead, it ended in a bloody brawl that left one man hospitalized and nine others – including Astros pitcher Brandon Backe – in jail.

It happened at the H2O bar in the San Luis resort early Sunday morning.

Police said Backe had attended a wedding at the Island Convention Center that night.  Backe and other wedding guests went to the bar after the wedding was over.  

City officials said the bride's brother, Cole O'Balle, tried to bring a drink from elsewhere into the bar.  An officer at the scene reportedly denied him entry, and a brawl broke out.

O'Bale and his father were both Tasered, and police also used pepper spray. Cole O'Balle was Life Flighted to a hospital in Houston. He was discharged Monday morning.

Officers maintain they only used enough force to gain control of the situation, but witnesses told 11 News otherwise.

“There were police officers screaming and jumping over couches and pushing people out of the way,” one witness said. “I witnessed them being kicked and hit repeatedly. I witnessed knees to a face.”

Witnesses said Backe, who was also a member of the wedding party, got involved when the younger O'Balle and the officers started fighting.

“I was close enough to the incident to get pepper sprayed, and all Brandon was guilty of was trying to help the kid from getting beaten to death. Don’t make this about him, the fault lies with the OVER-REACTION of the police and the security team at the resort!” a witness said in a comment on KHOU.com.

According to witnesses, police tried to cuff Backe, but he pulled away.  Then the officers took him to the ground.  When he tried to get up, an officer hit Backe in the face twice.

Witnesses described the scene as “total chaos.”

11 News image

This still image from a home video shows the brawl at the H20 bar.

KHOU.com users had plenty to say about the incident.  In story comments, some lamented the fight but showed sympathy for the police department, saying they are on edge because of the hurricane.

“I think the police may be a bit overworked and frustrated. Not an excuse though,” one comment read.

But others said the incident was brutal and unnecessary.

“They beat the bride’s brother to the point of having to be lifeflighted & is now in ICU-they continued to beat him as well as others after they were on the ground. No one was “drunk” and there was no reason for the excessive force by tazing & pepperspraying people that they had already beaten to the ground,” one commenter said.

Backe was charged with interfering with a police officer and resisting arrest, said Joel H. Bennett, Galveston County assistant criminal district attorney. Both charges are misdemeanors. He was released on $1,500 bond.

Backe, a Galveston native, joined the Astros in 2004 after playing two seasons with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Jaime Forero Jr., a FEMA coordinator who was in Galveston to help with hurricane recovery, was also arrested after refusing an officer’s order to leave. Forero was charged with failure to obey an officer.

FEMA spokeswoman Debbie Wing confirmed that Forero is a FEMA coordinator “in good standing,” and has been in Galveston for several weeks.

“We look forward to seeing the results of the formal inquiry,” Wing said.

Cole O’Balle was charged with three counts of assault on a public servant and two counts of retaliation, according to Bennett.

The others were arrested on a range of charges including public intoxication, interference with police and resisting arrest, Bennett said.

Officials with the Astros said they are aware of the incident in a statement to 11 News.

“We are aware of the incident. We have spoken to Brandon and we got his version. Now it’s a legal matter, and we are not going to have any further comment,” the statement read.

Galveston police said there is not currently an internal investigation into the incident, because they haven’t received a formal complaint.