Center City Philadelphia chaos involving teens leads to 2nd night of arrests
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Philadelphia police say several people were arrested and several citations were issued after a teen takeover in Center City.
On Monday, Action News spoke with Jimmy Freeman, of Logan, who said he witnessed the entire situation and taped it with his Meta glasses. Freeman said he was there as hundreds of teenagers descended on the area around Dilworth Park on Sunday while the Made in Philadelphia Summer Market was coming to a close.
"All the vendors were out. Tents were everywhere. They were just breaking up. And as they were breaking up the tents and the stuff, all this chaos started happening," he explained. "It was just wild. You would have to be here to experience it."
In a video Freeman shared with Action News, you can see police responding to the crowds as fights broke out. One video clip also shows officers attending to one person who fell to the ground.
Philadelphia police say they will be using videos that are circulating on social media in their investigation.
Police say one person was arrested for having a firearm, another was arrested for robbery, and a third was arrested for disorderly conduct. Seven citations were also issued on Sunday for disorderly conduct.
Jonathan Dunleavy, of Queen Village, said he was heading to his girlfriend's home when he saw what was happening.
"We had flash mobs when I was this age. Never like this. Never in Center City," Dunleavy said.
In the midst of the chaos, Dunleavy said he heard a gunshot.
"I heard, 'Yo, he's got a gun!' So I stopped and turned and heard pop pop," he explained.
Philadelphia police say after the gunshot went off, they saw a young man putting something in a backpack. A foot chase ensued, and when officers caught him, they found a handgun with 37 rounds in his bag.
After Sunday's situation, Philadelphia police increased patrols around City Hall and other parts of Center City on Monday. Still, groups of teenagers filled the area. Action News witnessed several arrests, and our crew saw an officer walking away from one scuffle with a bloodied face.
We have reached out to Philadelphia police for more information about Monday's arrests.
Action News has also reached out to Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker's office for comment on the situation, but we are waiting to hear back.
