The OP did what ... probably ... most of us WISH we had the guts to do but don't because we live by civilized rules, or else we are just too da** afraid of confritation and reprocussions. Darn... i wish i had the nerve to respond the way the OP did. Guess I'm just too chicken or just too old now to throw a good punch!
You SHOULD be old enough to know better.
Here's where I get called out for flaming....I have become tired of civility as a response to ignorance. I don't suffer fools and I don't validate or enable bad behavior either. I would have done as the op did....but only after management failed its' responsibility to uphold peace.
Sometimes civility means staying uninjured or alive. A rowdy, drunken group of people should NOT be provoked. Sound like you could potentially be a candidate for a Darwin award.
OP, what's the REAL story? You've told 2 different versions which leads me to believe it never really happened.