CHARLOTTE, N.C. — More than 30 people were arrested or cited after a huge brawl broke out at a Fourth of July celebration at Romare Bearden Park in Uptown, police announced Wednesday.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings confirmed that of the 32 people who were cited or arrested, 17 were minors. The parents or guardians of 15 arrested minors were cited for contributing to the delinquency of a minor, CMPD said. The suspects are facing numerous charges, including disorderly conduct, carrying a concealed weapon, resisting a public officer, assault on a government official, and possession of a firearm on city property.
Jennings said it started when a group of teenagers lit illegal fireworks and started fights. He said some of the suspects were running through the crowd wearing masks, causing panic in the park. Jenning condemned their actions, saying that's "not who Charlotte is," and credited officers and staff for keeping things under control.
Jennings said citing the parents of teens involved is one way of raising accountability.
"You're responsible for your kids' behavior," Jennings said. "When you have teens that have no supervision and free reign to do whatever, the accountability falls on parents."
CMPD officials said four guns were seized by officers during the incident. The brawl was caught on video Tuesday night. Medic said no one was injured during the incident, but two CMPD officers did suffer known injuries, a spokesperson said Wednesday.
Charlotte mayor offered her own condemnation of the brawl in a statement, along with praise for CMPD's handling of the situation:
On a night when families gathered to celebrate and enjoy fireworks in our city, it is disheartening to witness violence disrupting their Independence Day evening. The incidents we observed in Uptown last night are unacceptable, and I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to the police officers and first responders who were on the scene. Your bravery and dedication to keeping our community safe make you true heroes. We appreciate the work you do day in and day out. Violence in our community is a community-wide issue that requires a community-wide response. Law enforcement can only do so much. We do have a number of programs in place to stop violence before it happens, but we must come together as a community to get at the heart of these matters.
Thousands gathered in Uptown on Tuesday to watch the Charlotte Knights' Fourth of July celebration at Truist Field. A massive fireworks show was held at the stadium after the Knights game.
"I want to commend our officers and staff for the robust plan we put together, how we were able to execute the plan and de-escalate a lot of situations that easily could've gotten out of control last night," Jennings said.
Jennings said he was disappointed that a small group of people could ruin the Fourth of July event for a peaceful crowd of thousands.
"A few people decided to come out in the crowd for the main purpose of disrupting a festive event," Jennings said. "They caused so much disruption that people couldn't enjoy it fully."
Jennings said CMPD had to briefly pull officers from other divisions to respond to Uptown but they were able to get those officers back on their patrol quickly.
Meanwhile, Chex Grill and Wings, right next to Romare Bearden Park, was prepared for high foot traffic the night of the incident, but closed the store and lost business due to the fighting.
The manager, Saad Alkahlout, says he sees violence at the hands of teenagers happening too often outside his shop.
“I call police every weekend, every Friday and Saturday night,” Alkahlout said.
Charlotte residents say police need to continue to enhance their security, but parents play a part too.
“I feel like the parent should spend more time with their kids as far as teaching them manners," Onahan Ordonez said.
Truist Field does hire off-duty CMPD officers as well as Mecklenburg County deputies. Chief Jennings says they all work together to create a safety plan.
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