Police in Florida arrested 23 teens and 6 adults after a fight broke out outside of a Brandon skating rink on Saturday night when a party was called off.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said that around 9:20 p.m. on Saturday, an off-duty deputy called Aero Skate and asked for help with a big group of people who were fighting in the parking lot.
Investigators learned that the fight happened after a private party that wasn’t going to happen because the people who were planning it forgot to hire an off-duty policeman for the event, which is what Astro Skate needs.
The party was stopped because the requirement wasn’t met, and the organizers were given a refund.
When the group found out that the party had been canceled, they took to social media to ask friends and coworkers to join them at Astro Skate and start a riot against the business and the police.
Deputies said there were 300 to 400 people in the parking lot of the rink and at shops nearby.
The cops who arrived told the crowd to leave because they were trespassing, but the crowd kept fighting, stealing, damaging businesses nearby, and making it impossible for them to run.
Police say that one of the groups involved in the riot beat a young person in a nearby barber shop. The victim was hit and thrown through the plate-glass window of the barber shop. They were taken to a nearby hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.
Another group, according to the sheriff’s office, broke more than $500 worth of wine bottles and stole an unknown amount of goods from inside a grocery store.
In the end, the sheriff’s office caught 23 teens, who were taken to the youth assessment center, and 6 adults, who were booked into the Orient Road Jail.
A story from FOX 13 in Tampa said that Lekera Evans, 32, Yazelynn Ramos, 21, Malik Carter, 20, Jadyn Sebro, 18, Aliyah Alfonso, 18, and Fareed Carter, 18, were all arrested. Court records show that all six accused have been charged with trespassing. Two more charges were brought against Ramos and Sebro for disorderly behavior. Evans was charged with resisting an officer’s orders without violence.
“The mean and annoying behavior toward hardworking people and businesses, which hurt, scared, and caused chaos in our community, disgusts me.” “Let me be very clear: this kind of violent and destructive behavior will never be okay in Hillsborough County, no matter what,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said.
“When our deputies arrive at a scene as chaotic as this one, they have to be ready for danger to come from anywhere.” The shocking video shows that these people didn’t care about safety. Our cops had to step in and calm things down quickly and professionally.
