Medmech |
06-21-2007 04:13 PM |
TheBostonChannel.com
Juneteenth Celebrations Turn Violent
Some Injured; One Killed
POSTED: 11:35 am EDT June 21, 2007
At least one person is in custody after major brawls erupted at a festival in Milwaukee meant to celebrate the anniversary of the the end of slavery Tuesday. http://www.thebostonchannel.com/sh/i...icon/video.gifVideo: Teen Violence Mars Celebration Milwaukee's Juneteenth Celebration ended in violence. A mob attacked at least two cars, dragging one driver out and beating him, police said. At least two people were injured, including a police officer. Milwaukee police said an officer was hurt while trying to break up a fight during Tuesday's celebration.Several thousand people attended the festival, which turned violent when it came to a close, police said.Police said a 33-year-old man was hurt when hundreds of teenagers swarmed around traffic in the area of North First and West Chambers streets.They said people rocked the man's vehicle, smashed the windows, dragged him out of the car, and kicked and hit him.He was treated at an area hospital for cuts on his face and a broken tooth.He told police he has no idea why he was targeted."At closing time, we've had problems when gangs of kids get overexcited and bad things happen," Milwaukee police Capt. Michael Young said during a news briefing Wednesday morning.Also following the Juneteenth Celebration, a Milwaukee police sergeant was hurt while trying to break up a fight between a group of girls.Police said the fight broke out just before 8 p.m.When the sergeant tried to break it up, police said, a 17-year-old girl punched him in the riot helmet, shattering the shield and cutting his face. The sergeant needed three stitches and also had scratches on his neck.The 17-year-old was arrested, accused of battery to a police officer.She is still in custody and is awaiting charges.Milwaukee police used horse patrols to help disperse the crowd, WISC-TV reported."Being very mobile on the horses, if we can, we will try to address that issue, and we address it by approaching (crowds) and again encouraging them to leave," said Sgt. Fred Tice, of the Milwaukee Police Department mounted patrol. The organizer of the Juneteenth celebration said the violence was unrelated to the festival.The violence follows a similar disturbance at the end of last year's Juneteenth festival. Police in riot gear were also called in and broke up a fight involving a group of people who tore down a tent and used its poles to beat each other. Austin Police: Crowd Kills Man
Police are getting conflicting estimates on the number of people involved in the mob beating death of a car passenger in Austin. Austin police said an angry mob beat 40-year-old David Rivas Morales to death Tuesday night. That's after the car in which he was riding struck and injured a young boy in a public housing parking lot. Police said the driver got out of the car to check on the child and was confronted by several people. When they attacked the driver, Morales got out of the car to protect the driver and was attacked as well. The driver managed to flee in the car and is cooperating with police. The child was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Police originally estimated 2,000 to 3,000 people were in the area. A resident of the complex said hundreds who had been at a Juneteenth festival filled the parking lot and street. But late Wednesday, police spokeswoman Toni Chovanetz said just 20 people were near where the assault happened. She also said there was no connection to the nearby city-sponsored Juneteenth festival.
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