A dramatic video of a fight on Hamilton's main street has emerged online showing security staff brawling with punters in the early hours of Sunday morning.
But the owner of a number of Hamilton's bars at the south end of Victoria St said the fight was gang related and started after two gang associates were kicked out of The Hood bar because they were causing problem.
The Lawrenson Group CEO John Lawrenson said there were about eight other gang members loitering on the street at the time and two of them turned on the security team at The Hood.
Mr Lawrenson, who was in the middle of the fight, said there were two young trouble makers running around trying to start a fight with anyone they could and once they were arrested by police the fights stopped.
There were about eight police officers initially at the scene who were outnumbered so about 30 of the Lawrenson Group security team members, wearing yelllow polo shirts, who were working at his bars including The Bank, Bar 101 and The Outback stepped into help, he said.
The Hood security team involved in the fight, wearing black polo shirts, were a separate security team which the Lawrenson Group had enlisted on advice of Police.
However Lawrenson said as of today he was terminating their contract.
The street was cleared by 3.30am and a number of arrests were made.