Four arrested after riot broke out as hundreds waited outside Euclid skating rink
EUCLID, Ohio June 16 2019 — Three juveniles and an adult were arrested Wednesday night during a riot that broke out while hundreds of people were crowded outside a Euclid skating rink hosting an end-of-the-school-year party, police said.
The incident started about 9:30 p.m. outside of Pla-Mor Skating Rink on Shore Center Drive near Farringdon Avenue, and lasted more than two hours, the Euclid Police Department said in a news release.
Approximately 400 to 500 people, mostly teenagers, were waiting outside the skating rink when police officers arrived. The crowd grew impatient, and some people started pushing and shoving, police said.
Officers used pepper spray to break up some of the fights among the crowd, police said. Euclid firefighters also assisted.
Authorities became concerned the skating rink was nearing its capacity of 440 occupants, so they went inside to conduct a head count. They began turning the crowd away once the skating rink reached capacity, but some people ignored the order and continued pushing and shoving, police said.
Three teenagers and an adult, who suffered facial injuries, were arrested when the fights broke out among the crowd. Details of their arrests were not made available Friday afternoon.
Authorities decided to shut down the event due to the crowd’s unruly nature, police said.
“The safety of the residents, business owners, and visitors to our city is the primary responsibility of the Euclid Police Department,” the news release says. “Given the severity of the incident and potential to quickly escalate out of control, immediate and reasonable steps were taken by police to protect people and property. These necessary measures prevented the already serious situation from becoming much worse.”
Pla-Mor did not comply with local ordinances requiring the business to obtain an event permit and hire off-duty police officers for security, police said.
The city has filed a nuisance complaint against the skating rink in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, police said. Details of the complaint were not immediately available Friday.
Cleveland.com
