Bay Area leader concerned over rowdy, destructive crowds as summer break for teens approaches
TAMPA, Fla. - Tampa Bay area leaders are urging parents to stay closely involved in their kids' lives as summer break approaches, following two weekend incidents in which law enforcement broke up crowds of hundreds of people.
On Saturday, deputies with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office responded to the area near Astro Skate in Brandon, where up to 500 people gathered, leading to brawls and 29 arrests, including 23 juveniles.
"It is anarchy. It is chaos," HCSO Chief Deputy Joseph Maurer told FOX 13 Monday.
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According to investigators, this all began after Astro Skate canceled an after-party, because the private host didn't hire an off-duty deputy, which the business requires. Detectives said people associated with the party went on social media and urged others to go to the business anyway, riot and confront law enforcement.
Video released by deputies show people fighting through parking lots and into businesses, including a teenager who was beaten and kicked through the window of a barber shop.
Also over the weekend, the Tampa Police Department broke up a crowd that was spilling out of a house party near Azeele Street that involved hundreds of people of various ages. It wasn't violent, but officers had concerns and shut down the gathering.
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Rep. Dianne Hart, D-Hillsborough, said teenagers often don't think their actions will have consequences, but they're wrong.
"We passed bills last year, three or more people together creating a riot will be charged with felonies. These are things that if as you get older, you cannot necessarily get off of your records," Hart said Tuesday. "You are asking for something terrible to happen on some of the videos where people were being beat up and stomped and kicked looking, and that just made me have chills."
Hart said parents need to keep track of their children at all times to make sure these incidents don't become summer trends.
"You could ruin your lives in one single night," she said. "[Parents] need to keep their location on [on their kids' cell phones]. If they move their location, you are aware of it. But to these children who think this is harmless because, oh, 'we just created chaos,' you better understand that your life can be changed forever."
Hillsborough deputies continue to comb through videos from the situation in Brandon and could make more arrests.
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