Chaotic Clash Between N.Y. Police, Residents Leads to 3 Arrests
SYRACUSE, NY September 2nd, 2022—Syracuse police announced three arrests following a chaotic encounter with Syracuse residents on the West Side Wednesday evening.
The arrests include a 15-year-old on gun charges and two bystanders.
Shortly before 7 p.m., at least a dozen officers flooded the 300 block of Richmond Avenue after a confrontation broke out between officers arresting the teen and some bystanders.
In a video circulating on social media, police can be seen physically struggling with two individuals that they were arresting.
Officers were patrolling the area around the 200 block of North Geddes Street when they observed a person—the 15-year-old—who appeared armed, according to a news release Thursday morning from Syracuse police.
As officers approached him, he fled on foot toward Richmond Avenue, police said. The foot chase started shortly after 6:30 p.m., according to Onondaga County 9-1-1 Center records.
At one point, the teen removed a fanny pack he was wearing and threw it on the roof of a nearby residence, police said.
Shortly after, the police caught the teen and he was arrested, police said.
When officers searched the roof, they found a loaded, untraceable Polymer 80 handgun and illegal drugs in the discarded fanny pack, police said.
As police investigated the scene, a large group began to form. Some people in the crowd began to yell at the officers. The confrontations continued to the point that officers put up police tape to keep people away from the area.
One man, Christopher Alvarado, 28, ripped a portion of the crime scene tape down and became physical with an officer at the scene, police said. After a brief struggle, officers detained Alvarado, police said.
Alvarado was charged with second-degree obstruction of governmental administration, resisting arrest and a local law violation for removing a police barricade. He was released on an appearance ticket.
Around the same time, another man became physical with officers, police said. Police said that Merrick Correa, 18, resisted arrest.
Correa was charged with second-degree harassment and resisting arrest, police said. He was released on an appearance ticket.
The video shared on Facebook shows a chaotic scene as officer face off with bystanders as they arrest an unidentified individual.
Officers can be seen in the video wrestling to get control of two of the three people who were arrested. The arrest of the third person was not on the video.
At least one person was pepper sprayed, according to dispatches. The video shows people pouring milk into the eyes of one of the detained individuals, a common treatment when someone is pepper sprayed.
One officer can be seen striking an individual in the head while attempting to arrest him. Police have not identified the individuals seen in the video.
The 15-year-old was charged with:
Criminal possession of a weapon, 2nd degree
Criminal possession of a weapon, 3rd degree
Criminal possession of a firearm.
Criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th degree
Obstruction of governmental administration.
Several local law violations.
