Eight minors were arrested after multiple fights broke out in Southwest D.C. on Saturday. The chaos occurred at the same time as an event made to provide a safe space for young people.
According to the Metropolitan Police Department, officers arrested three juveniles at 8:20 p.m. Saturday, after a large fight in the 1300 block of Canal Street. Just 10 minutes later, another teen was arrested near 1st and N streets SW.
At 9 p.m., four more teenagers were arrested in the same area.
A resident near 4th Street SW captured a video at 10 p.m. showing another crowd of teenagers flooding the streets, fighting, running and shouting, but by the time the officers arrived, the crowd had already dispersed, and no arrests were made.
“There were a couple of times they all broke into running, and they all ran. I think there was a fight and they ran down to see it. I felt uneasy because I didn’t know what was happening. That’s the first time I’ve ever felt like that,” said Deanna Dove, who works in the area.
“I saw a mother and her two kids hanging on to the kids, and it was all like they were saying, ‘Oh please, just let us keep walking in peace,'” Dove added.
The chaos occurred near the King Greenleaf Recreation Center, where the District’s Department of Parks and Recreation was sponsoring Teen Nights, an event in response to the city’s enforcement of juvenile curfew zones.
National Guard troops were seen walking in the area on Sunday. News4 asked if their presence was related to the fights.
A Joint Task Force spokesman said: “While we do not discuss specific shifts in tactical posture for operational security, JTF-DC remains agile and maintains a persistent presence to ensure the safety of the District. Our footprint is continuously assessed in coordination with our federal and local partners to respond to the evolving security environment.”
Five juvenile curfew zones were added by D.C. police on Friday to remain active from 8 to 11 p.m., Friday through Sunday, in addition to the standing citywide curfew for those under 18 every night from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.
The Juvenile Curfew Second Temporary Amendment Act is in effect through April 15.
The fights broke out days after the D.C. Council postponed a vote to extend the police chief’s authority to implement the curfew zones for another three months. The council voted to delay any vote until late April after the expiration of the Juvenile Curfew Second Temporary Amendment Act.
The Teen Nights event was scheduled to run from 6 to 10 p.m. D.C. Parks and Recreation told News4 more than 1,000 people took part. They said a small group of individuals on the perimeter declined to follow safety guidelines and were not admitted.
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