Which Fort Worth entertainment district has the most crime? Here’s what we found out.
Out of 3,197 crimes reported in Fort Worth’s five entertainment districts from Jan. 1, 2023, to March 10, 2024, the largest number — about 40 percent — happened in the West 7th area, totaling 1,288, according to city data obtained by the Star-Telegram.
The downtown area followed the West 7th district for crimes reported in the approximately 14-month period, with a total of 970 calls to police. The city reported 650 crimes in the Stockyards area, 198 near South Main, and 91 in the Magnolia area.
The majority of the crimes were nonviolent. With 517 calls, theft was the most commonly reported crime across all districts, followed by 312 calls for public intoxication and 229 vehicle burglaries.
Crime in Entertainment Districts
This sortable dashboard shows the locations of over 3,000 reported crimes in Fort Worth's entertainment districts from January 1st, 2023, to March 10th, 2024. The dashboard displays the crimes in clusters on a map colored by the predominant type of crime in that cluster. Zoom into the map to see more detailed crime clusters. Tap a cluster for more info or to zoom into that area. You can also view crimes by type, criminal offenses, entertainment district and year by tapping on the crimes or neighborhoods listed in the charts on the dashboard.
SOURCE: The City of Fort Worth provided the data, and the city has removed cases involving juvenile-related data.
Magnolia
Most of the violent crimes seen near Magnolia Avenue consisted of different types of assaults. The area had eight reported assaults, four assaults by threat, one aggravated assault, and two Class C assaults, which can include unwanted contact that someone could reasonably find offensive.
There were also two weapons calls, a homicide, and a robbery of a person reported in the Magnolia area during this time period. In the homicide, 61-year-old David Ward was strangled during a fight in an apartment in the 1200 block of Washington Avenue in July, according to police.
South Main
South Main saw thefts more than any other crime within the district. The city reported 29 vehicle burglaries, 28 thefts and 26 auto thefts in the area, with most of them called in from South Main Street, West Daggett Avenue and East Broadway Avenue, according to the data, which is grouped by blocks and not exact addresses.
Various types of assaults also were the most common violent crime in the South Main area, with 15 assaults, three aggravated assaults, and an assault of an elderly person.
Stockyards
Like South Main, theft led reported crimes in the Stockyards district, with a total of 120 calls. Assault came in as the most commonly reported violent crime in the Stockyards, with 79 assault calls and 17 aggravated assaults. The area had 103 reports of public intoxication, 59 vehicle burglaries and 37 auto thefts, most of which happened off U.S. 287, Exchange Avenue and Stockyards Boulevard.
One homicide was reported in the Stockyards area, according to the data. In November, Julian Torrez, 46, was shot at a home in the 2300 block of North Houston Street.
Downtown
While the West 7th area had the most reported crimes in total, downtown reported 218 thefts, which is more than any other entertainment district. That number is up from 168 thefts reported from Jan. 1, 2021, to May 8, 2022.
Other commonly reported crimes in the downtown Fort Worth area included 71 assaults, 64 vehicle burglaries, 42 auto thefts, 28 Class C assaults, 17 assaults by threat and 16 aggravated assaults.
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West 7th
In addition to 136 theft calls, 104 assaults and 22 aggravated assaults, West 7th had the most reports of narcotic violations, 122, and weapons calls, 72. The data shows about half of crimes in the West 7th area were reported near Foch Street, a street predominantly occupied by restaurants and bars.
Two of the four homicides reported in the city’s entertainment districts during the 14-month period occurred in the West 7th area.
TCU student Wes Smith was among the victims who were killed in West 7th in the past year. In what police say was a random attack by a stranger, Smith was shot three times in September by 21-year-old Matthew Purdy on Bledsoe Street, outside the now-closed Your Mom’s House bar.
On March 2, Bryson Rodgers, 29, was fatally shot on a sidewalk in the 2900 block of Crockett Street. Police say the alleged shooter was arguing with Rodgers about a friend the shooter was dating. Karlove Palmer is charged with murder in Rodgers’ death.
On March 17, a 23-year-old man was shot and critically injured near the intersection of Currie and Bledsoe streets. He was found lying in the middle of the street with a gunshot wound, a 911 caller reported. Investigators believe this shooting also stemmed from an argument. Police are still looking for the person who shot the man.
The city also reported one deadly conduct call in the West 7th entertainment area.
Data shows that West 7th was the only district with calls about Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission offenses, consisting of 11 reports. A West 7th area employee who anonymously spoke to the Star-Telegram says this offense contributes to the recent violence seen in the district.
Fights regularly break out inside and outside a restaurant and bar on Bledsoe Street, according to the employee. While the employee noted he’s seen more of a security and police presence in West 7th, crowds still get “pretty crazy.”
“I don’t know what needs to be done,” the employee said.
The area sees between 8,000 and 10,000 visitors on a single night, according to the city.
Instead of the fights and violence drawing people away, it only attracts more crowds, the employee said. He said he has seen several people being over-served alcohol in the West 7th bar scene and he believes that the TABC needs to step in.
Since the start of 2024, the TABC has received 16 complaints for the Fort Worth area, with three of them reported within the West 7th district, according to a complaint summary obtained by the Star-Telegram.
A complaint from Jan. 8 was made at Poag Mahone’s Pub at 700 Carroll St. for serving alcohol to a minor. The TABC also received two complaints on Jan. 25 and Feb. 1 regarding alcohol being served to a minor and to an intoxicated person at Maya Tequila Ranch at 1005 Norwood St.
TABC spokesperson Chris Porter says that complaints are “one of the primary drivers that lead to an investigation of a TABC-licensed business, particularly in cases of possible overservice.”
Since the start of this year, the TABC has conducted 179 inspections in Fort Worth, including undercover operations to identify businesses selling alcohol to minors, according to Porter.
The West 7th area employee also told the Star-Telegram that the police are doing what they can and usually respond quickly to the scene after 911 calls are made, but nonetheless, officers are outnumbered.
The entertainment district is the most densely policed area of the city, said Fort Worth police Lt. Paul Genualdo, speaking at a March 25 West 7th neighborhood meeting. The district has 25 officers dedicated to a 12-square block area roughly bounded by West Lancaster Avenue to the south, University Drive to the west, White Settlement Road to the north, and the Fort Worth and Western Railroad tracks to the east.
Around 10 to 12 officers patrol the area every night with double those numbers on Friday and Saturday, Genualdo said, while also pointing out that those numbers don’t include off-duty police officers hired by the bars and nightclubs to work security.
Crime spiked in 2022 according to police statistics, but Genualdo attributed that to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most violent crime in the area was down about 5% in 2023, he said.
Police have taken a more proactive approach since September 2022 by increasing traffic stops with the goal of finding illegal guns and drugs.
Last year, police said, officers confiscated more than 100 guns in the area.
While Texas is a constitutional carry state, it is illegal to possess a gun while committing another crime. Most of the guns confiscated in the West 7th district come from traffic stops where police smell marijuana, Genualdo said.
Other security measures by police include more than 20 cameras used by the Real Time Crime Unit to surveil the area.
Miguel Flood, 24, who lives in an apartment in the West 7th district, used to walk around the area with his grandparents when he was a child. But he too says the recent shootings have been shocking.
“There’s just some spots, some stuff I just can’t do,” Flood said.
Not everyone who goes to West 7th, specifically to bars and clubs, acts responsibly, according to Flood.
He hears sirens several times every weekend and has witnessed fights and arguments breaking out.
Because of the recent crimes, Flood feels that he needs to constantly look over his shoulder.
“I always move careful,” Flood said. Although he’s cautious with where he goes and always tries to be aware of his surroundings, he is more at ease knowing his parents moved closer to his apartment.
“It’s insane. I hope it gets better. I would never want to see anybody necessarily go through that,” Flood said about the shootings.
Staff writer Harrison Mantas contributed to this report.
