But the protagonists in the stand-off were Dunedin City Council staff and city businessmen, rather than hoodie-wearing street louts.
Now, both sides have gone back to their corners, solicitors have been hired, letters written and emails threatened.
The issue behind the brouhaha is the council's decision to start enforcing parking rules in an alleyway off Moray Pl, behind lower Stuart St, an action council property manager Robert Clark said yesterday was the result of complaints from people who use the alleyway.
But Metro bar director Benjamin Hanssen said three council staff, including parking services team leader Daphne Griffen, had gone to the alley and threatened to tow a delivery vehicle unloading at the business, in a situation that was not blocking anyone's access.
"It's a ludicrous situation," Mr Hanssen said. "A ludicrous waste of bureaucratic resource."
Mr Clark responded he had a file from staff that "says they were abused with some pretty raw language". That did not prompt staff to act in the most co-operative way, he said.
A representative from the Metro bar contacted the Otago Daily Times after the altercation on Thursday.
Mr Hanssen said yesterday the legal situation went back at least a century, and gave a "right to pass" to tenants in the alley.
People in the buildings had "a gentleman's agreement" to make way for each other, which had worked.
The council had come on the scene when it built a car-park building next door, and had more recently painted yellow lines in the first part of the alleyway.
He said he was "comfortable" with that, and accepted tickets he had received, but the council did not have the right to extinguish the right to pass, meaning vehicles could make deliveries.
Metro staff member Brad Roberts said the driver who got caught up in the argument ignored Ms Griffen on Thursday, and then started swearing at her.
Mr Hanssen said he, too, got in on the act.
"To be fair, I absolutely lost it," he said. "I told her to get off the property."
He said Ms Griffen had then gone on to Moray Pl and stopped a truck entering the alley.
About five businesses that used the alley had been told they had to use an "authorised vehicles only" zone in lower Stuart St, that was not suitable for their purposes.
Mr Hanssen had rung his solicitor, being "so incensed" after the altercation. He planned to get a legal opinion on his rights in the situation.
Ms Griffen said "no comment" when called yesterday.
That was "absolutely" all she was going to say on the matter.
Mr Clark said: "We're not trying to be difficult, we're trying to solve a problem."
There was a legal right to pass, but not a legal right to stop and block other traffic. He had two legal opinions to that effect.
Mr Clark did, however, accept at the very end of the lane, it should be possible to unload.
If people were not interfering with others, "there doesn't seem too much of a problem".
