BATON ROUGE — An argument between two “passionate” longtime friends turned physical Tuesday night when two Louisiana lawmakers ended up fist fighting at a bar near the Capitol in Baton Rouge, according to USA Today Network capitol reporter Greg Hilburn.
The report says state Sen. Norby Chabert of Houma and state Rep. Stuart Bishop of Lafayette had been arguing on the floor of the Capitol earlier that day and continued the conversation at the River Room on Laurel Street. Bishop, serving as chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, had blocked a bill from Chabert, who chairs the Senate Natural Resources Committee.
Bishop told the newspaper that Chabert punched him “several times” at the bar.
“We had a gentleman’s disagreement and settled it with our hands,” Bishop said.
Police were called, but Chabert left the bar before they arrived and no arrests were made.
Chabert said he regrets the incident, noting that “I love Stuart like a brother, and sometimes brothers fight.”
“We are both passionate people and sometimes that gets the best of us,” he said.
Bishop also reportedly addressed the fight on the House floor and joked that next time, “it will be dueling guns.”
Read the full report here.