Birmingham police are investigating an altercation involving Birmingham mayor William Bell and council member Marcus Lundy that sent both men to the hospital. 
 
 Paramedics were seen leaving the mayor's office shortly before 11 a.m. City officials tweeted shortly after noon that Bell was undergoing a CT scan and MRI. The president of the city council shared with reporters photos that showed bloody scratches on Lundy's leg. 
 
 Mayor Bell, 66, reportedly suffered injuries to his throat and knee. He was treated and released from the hospital today. 
 
 "Thank you for all the thoughts and prayers," the tweet from the city's official account read. 
 
 Officials said the two went into a back room to talk about a consultant. The discussion became heated and the mayor tried to leave. No one else was in the room. At some point, Lundy put his hands around the mayor's neck and tried to pull him back, squeezing and leaving marks, a source told AL.com. 
 
 It was reported Lundy said Bell talked to Regions Bank, Lundy's employer, and said Lundy should be fired. Bell's office denied it. 
 
 Bad blood between Mayor Bell, Councilman Lundy predates Tuesday fight 
 
 The fight happened in a small room near the council chambers, where other council members were holding their weekly Tuesday meeting. 
 
 A recording of the council meeting captured someone yelling, "Whoa! Whoa!" 
 
 Police Chief A.C. Roper said both men were taken to a hospital. Ross Sheffield of Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service said Lundy was taken by ambulance and Bell by private vehicle. 
 
 Sheffield declined to discuss the severity of the injuries. 
 
 No police officers were involved in the altercation or witnessed the incident, Roper said. 
 
 "Violence is never the answer regardless of the location," Roper said. "It's extremely concerning, not just for me, but for our entire city so we'll conduct a thorough investigation and try to get to the bottom of exactly what happened and what precipitated this incident." 
 
 Recording captures yelling during Birmingham mayor, councilman fight 
 
 The ongoing investigation, Roper said, should give police a "better idea of exactly what occurred" and what specific charges may be filed. 
 
 An arrest warrant for Lundy was later sworn out. 
 
 "We are looking at specifically assault charges. There could be some other charges involved," Roper said earlier in the day. 
 
 Birmingham City Council President Johnathan F. Austin said Lundy would press charges but would not answer when asked who initiated the conflict. "This right here is ridiculous. It makes no sense," Austin said. 
 
 The incident, which Austin said was "senseless foolishness," was indicative of Bell's lack of respect and willingness to cooperate with the council, Austin said. 
 
 "This is a democracy, not a dictatorship," Austin said. 
 
 Council members said today's altercation followed a Monday night budget and finance committee meeting to discuss BP settlement funds. 
 
 Austin said Jarvis Patton, the mayor's chief of staff, at some point walked out of the meeting. Bell did not attend the meeting of the committee, which is chaired by Lundy. 
 
 "What occurred at City Hall today is a direct reflection of the lack of respect towards the Council and unwillingness to cooperate," Austin said. "We have worked continuously to move this city forward, and it's a sad day when council members are attacked while trying to do the job that they were elected to do." 
 
 Councilwoman Kim Rafferty said the incident is embarrassing for Birmingham. 
 
 "There is no excusing it," Rafferty said. "They need to sit across from the table and talk about conflict resolution." 
 
 City spokeswoman April Odom issued this statement: "The Mayor is currently recovering at a local area hospital. A formal police report has been initiated and will be ready for release in the next hour. From there, the magistrate will swear out a warrant for the arrest of Councilor Lundy. When approached by Birmingham Police, Councilor Lundy refused to give a statement." 
 
 Council member LaShunda Scales this afternoon provided AL.com with audio from the budget and finance committee. The audio includes Scales asking Patton about a vehicle -- a Ford Expedition -- that had been loaned to the council and was taken back without the council being notified. 
 
 Odom today told AL.com Lundy drove a city owned vehicle and the city law department asked that the vehicle be returned. 
 
 "There was some documents from my office in the back," Lundy said, according to the recording. Patton said Lundy could retrieve them. 
 
 Scales then asked why Patton did not discuss the retrieval of the vehicle with council members. 
 
 "I'm not going to sit here and be questioned and badgered," Patton replied. Patton then asked if he is being recorded and does not answer when Scales asks how he is badgered. 
 
 When the questioning persists, Patton leaves the meeting. 
 
 "I think it's real unfortunate that that's the way we choose to govern ourselves," Scales said. 
 
 Lundy was elected to the District 9 seat in 2013 after Roderick Royal decided not to seek re-election. 
 
 AL.com reporters John Archibald and Kyle Whitmire contributed to this report. 

 BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — The mayor of Alabama's largest city got into a fight with a city councilman during a meeting Tuesday, sending both men to the hospital. 
 
 Birmingham City Council President Johnathan Austin holds up a photograph of injuries to Councilman Marcus Lundy's leg after a fight with Mayor William Bell, as he speaks during a press conference Tuesday,... (Associated Press) 
 
 FILE - In this Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013, file photo, Birmingham, Ala., Mayor William Bell pauses during a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington. A fight that broke out during a City Council... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this Nov. 19, 2013 photo, City Councilman Marcus Lundy attends a meeting in Birmingham, Ala. Mayor William Bell and Lundy each suffered minor injuries in a fight that broke out during a council meeting... (Associated Press) 
 
 Birmingham City Council President Johnathan Austin speaks during a press conference Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2015, in Birmingham, Ala. Mayor William Bell and Councilman Marcus Lundy each suffered minor injuries... (Associated Press) 
 
 Media covering the council meeting reported hearing a man shout "No, No!" during the fracas in a small room outside the chamber. After the dust settled, Mayor William Bell and Councilman Marcus Lundy both had minor injuries and could face charges. 
 
 It's not clear who started the fight or what it was over. Councilwoman Kim Rafferty said there have been power struggles between Bell, 66, and the council for a while. 
 
 "Boys need to grow up and be men and do the job they were elected to do," she said. "They need to sit across the table and talk about conflict resolution." 
 
 Council President Johnathan Austin said at a news conference that the mayor assaulted the councilman, and that Lundy planned to press charges. Austin showed photos of scrapes on the back of Lundy's left leg. 
 
 A spokeswoman for the mayor, April Odom, issued a statement saying an arrest warrant would be taken out on Lundy, who she said refused to talk to police afterward. The city tweeted that Bell was undergoing an MRI and CT scan following the fight. 
 
 Police Chief A.C. Roper declined comment on details of the altercation, saying a report wasn't complete. 
 
 Bell, a former council member, has been mayor since 2010. He briefly spoke at a law enforcement training session that included a mention of workplace violence before the council meeting but missed a chamber of commerce luncheon afterward. 
 
 Lundy, elected in 2013, has worked as an executive with several companies. He chairs the council's Economic Development, Budget and Finance Committee. 

 Brawl Ends Birmingham City Council Meeting 
 
 Enlarge this image toggle caption Frank Couch/AL.com/Landov Frank Couch/AL.com/Landov 
 
 Police in Birmingham, Ala., are investigating a fight that broke out during a City Council meeting Tuesday. 
 
 A routine meeting whose agenda included installing new fire hydrants and authorizing routine contracts erupted in fisticuffs between Birmingham Mayor William Bell and council member Marcus Lundy. Each has accused the other of assault. 
 
 Birmingham police Chief A.C. Roper said it's not clear who might be charged until an investigation is complete. He added, "Violence is never the answer regardless of the location." 
 
 Witnesses report Bell and Lundy had stepped into a back room, alone, during the council meeting to discuss a consultant, when shouting was heard. 
 
 Both men went to a hospital for treatment of injuries. 
 
 The altercation is the latest escalation of a contentious relationship between the mayor and the council, and it continued to play out in statements released after the fight. 
 
 City spokeswoman April Odom released this statement: 
 
 "The Mayor is currently recovering at a local area hospital. A formal police report has been initiated and will be ready for release in the next hour. From there, the magistrate will swear out a warrant for the arrest of Councilor Lundy. When approached by Birmingham Police, Councilor Lundy refused to give a statement." 
 
 Lundy will press charges against Bell, according to Birmingham City Council President Johnathan Austin. 
 
 "What occurred at City Hall today is a direct reflection of the lack of respect towards the Council and unwillingness to corporate which has been ongoing for some time now," said Austin in a statement. 
 
 "It's a sad day when Council members are attacked while trying to do the job that they were elected to do," he said.
– A routine day of city governance ended with a mayor and city council member hospitalized and lobbing legal threats and accusations at each other via staff, coworkers, and official city social media accounts, AL.com reports. The "senseless foolishness"—in the words of Birmingham city council president Johnathan Austin—started when mayor William Bell and council member Marcus Lundy went into a back room during a council meeting Tuesday. Things apparently escalated during a conversation about a consultant, and the men attacked each other. According to the AP, reporters covering the meeting could hear someone shout "no" multiple times during the kerfuffle. Afterward, both men were taken to the hospital, AL.com reports. Officials say Bell got a CT scan and MRI. Meanwhile, Austin tweeted photos of scratches to Lundy's leg. Lundy's people state assault charges are coming for Bell. Bell's team counters that an arrest warrant will soon be issued for Lundy. "This right here is ridiculous," Austin says. "It makes no sense." According to AP, another council member added: "Boys need to grow up and be men." Police are continuing to investigate the situation to see if charges are warranted. "Violence is never the answer regardless of the location," NPR quotes the Birmingham police chief.