6 Arrested As Crowds of Youths Draw Police Attention to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor
BALTIMORE MD May 28 2019 — Crowds of rowdy teens turned out Saturday night at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, causing police to fill East Pratt Street, block off street corners and arrest several people.
Officers began to receive reports around 6:30 p.m. of youths fighting downtown.
The crowds remained for several hours. Police said officers arrested six people, and no one was seriously injured. Detective Jeremy Silbert, a spokesman for the Baltimore Police Department, said Sunday that the six were arrested for destruction of property and disorderly conduct.
By 9:30 p.m., officers were directing bystanders away from the intersections of Light, Calvert and Commerce streets.
The youths — boys and girls — filled the areas. Some could be seen clowning and chasing each other. Two boys were seen fighting near Calvert and East Fayette streets. The crowd ranged in size from about 100, according to witnesses, to over 400, according Baltimore City Councilman Eric Costello, who said online he had spoken with police officials about the incident.
“At least one person was assaulted, several reports of destruction of property and video footage of kids running across E Pratt St on top of the hood of cars,” Costello wrote on Facebook. The Sun has not independently confirmed existence of a video showing the incident Costello described.
Silbert said he requested footage of the incident, adding that a report would be made available possibly later this week.
On Commerce Street, an officer shouted for a group of boys to keep their hands off a parked car.
The police department posted a brief statement online but did not provide further information.
In springtime, large groups of teens often gather in the Inner Harbor, leading to mostly peaceful but tense encounters with police.
