Police investigating after five partygoers were injured in New York City club brawl between Chris Brown and Drake

Hip-hop rivals Chris Brown and Drake turned a New York City nightclub into a war zone that sent four innocent bystanders to the hospital early Thursday when they started a brutal brawl over the pop music diva Rihanna.
One of the club-goers caught in the middle was Hollie C, an Australian tourist who was rushed to Bellevue Hospital after she was smashed in the head with a flying bottle during the fight.
A gruesome photo shows a gash in her head and her face covered with blood. She needed 16 stitches to close the wound.
Witnesses say the two recording stars started fighting after Chris Brown sent Drake a bottle of Champagne as a peace offering. Drake reportedly sent the bottle back with a note: 'I'm f****** the love of your life, deal with it.'

Horrific: Hollie C, a 24-year-old Australian tourist, received 16 stitches to close a head wound she received when she was hit with a flying bottle during the fight

Chris Brown, 23, dated Rihanna until she dumped him after he savagely beat her on the eve of her performance at the Grammy Awards in 2009. After their breakup, the beauty from Barbados was romantically linked with rapper Drake.
Reports indicate Rihanna, 24, is in the process of getting back together with Chris Brown.
The New York Police Department is investigating the fight, which broke out at Club W.i.P in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan.
A spokesman said investigators believe Chris Brown, his bodyguard and a woman with him were trying to leave the club about 4am when they were confronted by five members of Drake's posse

As they were squaring off, someone -- police don't know who yet -- threw a bottle.
Drake, whose real name is Aubrey Drake Graham, was not in the group that confronted Chris Brown, NYPD Lt John Grimple told Mail Online. 
Hollie, the injured tourist, told TMZ.com she went to W.i.P. with friends on Wednesday night, unaware they were sitting in between two angry rappers and their entourages.
Suddenly, all hell broke loose.
'Within a few moments of noticing glass being thrown around, I saw a glass bottle headed towards me, consequently hitting me in the head.' she told TMZ.
'I immediately started to bleed and proceeded to fall in and out of consciousness.'

Clash: Chris Brown posted a picture of his cut chin to his ten million followers after an alleged brawl with rapper Drake

She was one of eight people treated as a result of the fight. Hollie and four others had nothing to do with the bar brawl.
Big Pat, is Chris Brown's bodyguard,. A photo shows him laying in a hospital bed with a bloody, wound on his head. 
Chris Brown was also injured. He posted a picture of a gash on his chin -- apparently sustained from the fight with Drake.
His female companion was hurt, as well.
Brown allegedly flew into a rage after Drake taunted him by returning a bottle of champagne he'd sent over as 'peace offering' with a note reading:  'I'm f****** the love of your life, deal with it'.
Drake's crude response was clearly a reference to Brown's ex-girlfriend Rihanna.
According to website Global Grind, Chris reportedly flew into a rage and confronted Drake.

Drake allegedly threw a punch but before the singer could retaliate, another man hit Brown in the face with a bottle.
A source told the New York Post: 'They were on opposite sides of the room, Drake went over to the middle of the club to talk to someone, then words were exchanged with Chris and his entourage.
The source said someone from Drake's entourage, possibly the singer himself, threw a bottle.

'Once the bottle was thrown, all hell broke loose and there were more bottles thrown.'

Gruesome: Chris Brown's bodyguard, Big Pat, recovers from a head wound he received during the bar fight

The fight allegedly kicked off as the last song was playing, just before 4 a.m.
Police were already at the scene because it was closing time and that they 'were on it in seconds and began getting everyone out of the club.'

Pictures of the aftermath show the club floor strewn with broken glass.

Brown was pulled out of the situation by his own security and helped out of the club while Drake was pulled to the back of the club, the source said. '[Drake] was one of the last out of W.I.P.'

The New York Police department confirmed to the Global Grind that the two singers' crews got into a fight at Manhattan nightclub - 5 people were injured in the melee including Chris' bodyguard who suffered a serious cut to the head, two other men and two women suffered minor cuts. At least three were hospitalised.
Police were looking at surveillance footage and talking to patrons who witnessed the melee. No arrests have been made and no complaints filed.
Drake has today denied he was involved in 'any kind last night at W.i.P.' His spokeswoman said in a statement: 'He was on his way out of the club when the altercation began.

'He did not engage in any activity which resulted in injury to person or damage to property.'
Chris Brown's publicist released a statement saying the R&B singer and his friends 'were victims of a brutal attack last night at WIP. They sustained several injuries. Chris and his party are cooperating with NY authorities who are pursuing this incident further.
Chris Brown and Toronto rapper Drake two have had a war of words since both being romantically attached to Rihanna.
The fight will further fuel rumours regarding the closeness of Rihanna to Chris Brown.
Earlier this week the two pop superstars partied at the same club at the same time for the second time in as many days, leaving within minutes of each other.
TMZ reported the pair were in the club together for around 30 minutes and Brown spent some time with the 'Rude Girl' singer at her table.
Sitting in different booths, the couple still 'kept a close eye on each other' - and Brown sent her over two bottles of Ace of Spades Champagne.

A video surfaced earlier this week of the pair leaving the club minutes apart.
The lovelorn pair have been linked together several times already this year, after it emerged that they had recorded songs with each other.