Chaos, several arrests at birthday party in Strawberry Mansion

STRAWBERRY MANSION (WPVI) -- Several partygoers captured cellphone video during a birthday cookout showing Philadelphia police officers wrestling with several men, pulling out tasers, and taking several people away in handcuffs.

Angry emotions could be heard spewing from the crowd in the background as police called for backup.

This all played out after 7:00 p.m. Sunday.

A city-wide assist call came across the scanners bringing dozens of officers to the scene at 27th and West York Streets.

In the end, several people were arrested, some people were injured and the birthday girl 52-year-old Lolita Dawson was left confused and upset.

"I don't know what happened, I just know they came in here with guns," said Dawson.

Dawson says about 50 family members and friends spent the day celebrating her birthday with a peaceful barbecue in a nearby lot.

She says she has no idea why officers responded but when they did she rushed to get her grandchildren away from the chaos.

"These are my grandkids and you're pointing guns, you don't have no respect for any of us innocent civilians," said Dawson.

Philadelphia police tell Action News that the officers were in the area investigating an assault that occurred nearby.

The victim pointed out two men who she said were the assailants and when police went to apprehend them, they ran into the birthday party crowd.

Police say when they moved in, some members of the crowd turned on them.

Authorities took several people into custody including the two men believed to have committed the original assault.

No word on the exact number of arrests or injuries.