Chaos broke out early Saturday morning at a Cape Girardeau gas station with multiple fistfights in a parking lot crowded with perhaps more than 100 people.

To further complicate the situation, a police officer responding to the brawls struck a 21-year-old woman when she pulled out in front of him. She was recovering at Southeast Missouri Hospital Saturday night.

Tiffani Marie Kinney of 1710 N. Sprigg St. pulled out in front of officer Paul Zajicek, who was traveling northbound on Sprigg in response to the fight about 1 a.m. Kinney's mother, Dawn Bridges, said Kinney was recovering from plastic surgery on her face and head and may be able to go home as early as this evening.

Zajicek was treated at St. Francis Medical Center for minor injuries and released, police said.

Kinney was issued a citation for failing to yield, but police Sgt. Kevin Orr said that he did not believe Kinney pulled out in front of the car intentionally to stop the patrolman from getting to the fight.

"The investigation does not show that," he said. "She just pulled into the path of the patrol unit."

Both vehicles had to be towed from the scene.

Brawls at Rhodes

The Rhodes 101 convenience store across from the Show Me Center was the scene of the chaos.

Joe Wise, a Rhodes night supervisor, witnessed several fights going on at the same time but said he could not completely tell what was going on since he was inside the store. Wise estimated at least 50 to 80 people were in the parking lot when the fights broke out. Orr said the crowd could have swelled to more than 100.

At one point, Wise said he watched eight to 10 people throwing punches in three or four separate fights.

"All we know," Wise said, "is somebody came in the store and said there was a huge fight. One guy got pulled out of a car and a swarm of people ran up by the front door."

Wise said the police were called immediately and the doors of the store were locked until police got the crowd under control.

The station, near Southeast Missouri State University dorms, typically gets busy at about 1 a.m., especially on weekends. At 1 a.m., the bars in town shut down. By 1:30 a.m., Wise said, alcohol can no longer be sold at the gas station.

"But it was very unusual," he said. "I've never seen that many out here. There were so many people in the parking lot, nobody could get in and out."

Orr said four have been arrested in their connection with the brawl and the investigation is ongoing.

Skirmishes continued even later, when fighting resumed at a car wash near Rhodes.

"It was a hectic night," Orr said.

bmiller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127