The Watermelon Riot occurred on the evening of April 15, 1856, in Panama City, then the capital of Panama State in the Republic of New Granada. After an American took a slice of watermelon from a street vendor and refused to pay for it, a verbal altercation ensued and then quickly escalated when shots were fired. An angry mob of locals converged on the site and began fighting with the Americans. Before order could be restored, at least fifteen Americans and two Panamanians were killed. American businesses, including the railroad station, were extensively damaged or destroyed.