More than a dozen youths pummeled and robbed a Grandview couple as they walked down a sidewalk, stealing his glasses and her purse.
A group of youths shoved a high school girl dressed for prom into a fountain on a restaurant patio without provocation.
These were among the events reported Saturday night when hundreds of what police called “unruly” youths gathered at the Country Club Plaza. The gathering spiraled out of control, police said, and officers emptied several fire extinguisher-sized pepper spray canisters and more than a dozen hand-held canisters to break up the crowd.
Police today released additional details about the incident, which drove paying customers away in a “mass exit” about 10 p.m. Police officials said they were forming a detailed plan to deal with possible crowds this weekend.
Police said they had noticed a growing population of youths loitering on the Plaza in recent weeks, as the weather has improved and after the Plaza movie theater’s decision to lower its age requirement. Last week, police said they learned youths were using social media Web sites to organize and encourage friends to gather Saturday night.
The department sent 21 additional officers to the Plaza about 6 p.m. Saturday to break up any gatherings of youths before they got too big. But as the night went on, the crowd of youths swelled to as many as 900 at 9 p.m. Police said some in the crowd were as young as 11 years old. Police were quickly outnumbered.
Fights broke out, youths ran down the streets, and groups blocked entrances and exits to businesses, police said. A 16-year-old girl suffered abrasions when she was run over by one group.
At Pennsylvania Avenue and Nichols Road, the Grandview couple, in their 20s, said a group of 15 young males accosted them and knocked a cup of coffee from the woman’s hand. The juveniles hit the woman, knocking her to the ground. They stole her purse and kicked and punched the man until the woman threw herself on top of his body to protect him. The man suffered minor cuts and swelling, police said.
People could not walk down the sidewalk and traffic could not flow because of the crowds. The horse carriage ride that operates on the Plaza had to shut down.
Police arrested a 15-year-old boy after he lifted up his shirt and showed what appeared to be a gun to various teenagers across the street with whom he was arguing. Police recovered a toy gun from the boy’s waistband.
Some youths grabbed flowers and flower pots and damaged the greenery, police said.
Police said the problems were especially bad near the Classic Cup, where officers responded to numerous large disturbances, and at P.F. Chang’s, where police had to clear juveniles from gathering in the restrooms. Police found a knife on the ground in the middle of one disturbance.
More than two dozen additional police officers showed up and helped disperse the juveniles, many of whom then migrated east toward Mill Creek Park and the Winstead’s restaurant.
Police said a large fight broke out in the Winstead’s parking lot and officers found a teen lying on the asphalt with a large bruise on his head. He could barely speak. He was only able to utter his name and the street he lived on.
The restaurant closed early.
Police officials said they had a hard time catching up with the troublesome juveniles because of the size of the crowds.
Most of the problems occurred before the city’s youth curfew of midnight, but police did arrest six juveniles for staying out after curfew.
In addition to the crimes that police observed, they received about 35 calls for help, mostly for disturbances and fighting.
Bookmarks