CCTV footage of Awra Briguela at Makati bar prior to brawl goes viral on social media
Awra Briguela. Images: Instagram/@awrabriguela, Instagram/@limetedryuu
On the day before Awra Briguela was allowed to post bail by the Makati Police for her temporary liberty, a series of CCTV footage made the rounds of social media showing the events before the Kapamilya celebrity got embroiled in a brawl outside a Makati bar early Thursday morning.
Xian Gaza, a content creator, was quoted as saying the CCTV recording was provided to authorities by Bolt Hole Bar as evidence against McNeal Briguela, 19, who is charged with assault and other offenses.”
The video was being narrated by one of Bolt Hole’s staff, Briguela and her friends appeared to be having fun while chatting with a group of men, among them complainant Mark Christian Ravana in the morning of June 29.
According to the bar staff, Briguela got mad when Ravana refused to undress, supposedly as a condition to have their picture taken with the celebrity. Briguela and her friends could be heard shouting and taunting Mark to undress and show his private parts.
At the 9:02 mark, the video began showing Briguela yanking at the shirt of Ravana until the two of them fell on the floor. At this point, Briguela was already getting agitated. Ravana kept on walking away from the celebrity, who appeared to be insistent that he remove his shirt and his pants.
Ravana managed to dodge Briguela’s clutches and step out of the bar, onto the flight of stairs going outside, but the “Ang Probinsyano” star was determined to follow him.
The video stopped as the man was out of the building, with Briguela close behind him, but the narrator said that this was when the fistfight ensued between the Kapamilya star and Ravana’s group. Sometime later, members of the Makati Police arrived and arrested Briguela.
On Thursday, Ravana was interviewed on TV5 saying that Briguela might have gotten mad at him because he refused to take off his pants and refused to let him leave the bar. “First of all, I didn’t fight back. I had my hands up. He (Briguela) really followed me downstairs. Then I was surprised when someone punched me. Many people punched me, and I just fought back,” he said.
Meanwhile, the initial report that the fight started because Briguela’s female friends were allegedly groped at was not shown in the circulating CCTV footage. According to the interview with the Makati Police, they did not receive any complaints from Briguela’s group regarding such harassment against them.
Makati Chief of Police Col. Edward Cutiyog said in an interview, “We also asked Awra’s group if any of them would file a complaint regarding alleged groping because that’s what they claim as the root cause. But so far, none. If someone comes here and files a complaint, then we will assist immediately.”
On Saturday, July 1, Briguela was released from police custody after posting bail amounting to P6,000 for charges of physical injuries and assault. A preliminary investigation may be set to hear these cases.
