Police Break Up Fights at Charlotte Beach

Charlotte, N.Y. - Fights involving about 50 youths broke out around 7 o'clock Monday night. Police had to clear the area, sending people home.

Police arrested several people.

One deputy was scratched on the face as he was pulled into the fracas. Police say that injury was not serious.

It's still unclear how many people were involved or what exactly started the fight. Witnesses said there were many young children on the beach and when a large scramble suddenly became more like a fight, parents feared the worst.

"I was scared for a minute. I started grabbing everybody...and making sure they moved out of everybody's way,” said beach goer Catrina Davis.

"There was a group of young gentleman running through the parking lot, saying something like someone's getting beat up, and next thing you know there are 20 cops, ambulances, fire trucks," said Kelsey Davis.

Those already at the Rib Fest Monday were allowed to stay in the fenced in area.

This isn't the first time a local venue has shut down because of fights on Memorial Day. Seabreeze made it a policy to close on Memorial Day starting last year after rumors of violence.
Original story at 13wham.com

Victim's family, city leaders have questions after uptown shooting

by BETH SHAYNE / NewsChannel 36
Bio | Email | Follow: @bethshayne

70 arrested, 1 killed in disturbance in uptown

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Questions continue to swirl as investigators search for whoever fired shots during one of many fights in uptown Charlotte early Sunday.

Investigators say Antwan Terrell Smith was shot and killed after someone pulled a gun just after 1 a.m. during a large fight on 3rd Street. Durante Kavon James was shot in the leg.

It was one of several fights that broke out after the Speed Street celebration in Uptown. CMPD called out its Civil Emergency Unit after reporting that many large groups of people were disobeying police, flashing gang signs, blocking traffic and fighting.

A manager at a convenience store on North Tryon Street tells NewsChannel 36 a huge crowd swarmed the store, broke a window, and began stealing things, before running away.

In all, 70 people were arrested - including 15 juveniles. Most of the arrests were for disorderly conduct, fighting, assault, and impeding traffic.

Police tried to track the shooter from 3rd Street with both a helicopter and a K-9 unit, but, as of Monday night, no one had been arrested. Antwan Smith's friends and family met back on 3rd Street to remember him.

"All we want to know is who did it. I mean, there was at least 70 people arrested, and all those people outside. Somebody seen something," his sister Shawnta Smith said through tears. "The bullet wasn’t even for him. He was just taking up for a friend and he got gunned down in the process," she said.

"Right now, they want to slander his name, but this ain't about none of that," a friend said. "We're out here to show our love and show our respect."

Several city leaders have expressed concerns about the incident. Though it has been several years since there was trouble, it is not the first Uptown gathering marred by late night arrests. The city is anxious to put its best foot forward for next year's Democratic National Convention.

Mayor Anthony Foxx released a statement:

"The crime that took place Sunday morning is disturbing and unacceptable. Neither our center city nor any of our neighborhoods are appropriate places for violence. Over the last twenty four hours, our police force has been focused on getting to the bottom of this incident. I have full confidence that Chief Monroe will use all of the tools available to find and ensure the prosecution of those responsible and take preemptive actions to make sure this rare occurrence does not repeat itself. While Charlotte's crime rate is the lowest in 30 years, the events of Sunday night are a harsh reminder that we still have more work to do."

Councilman Andy Dulin tweeted his concern. "This is UNACCEPTABLE. I am on it!"

Councilman David Howard sent a statement as well.

"I do look forward to learning more about this situation from the City staff and CMPD. Speed Street and the other race events have more often than not, gone off with no major problems over the years. I am confident that just like those other rare occasions when bad things happened, CMPD will take the proper actions to address these situations in the future. Let’s not lose sight of all the other positive years this event has been successful."

Original story on wcnc.com

Long Island Beach Riot


LONG BEACH, N.Y. - A Long Island police department says it had to call for backup to quell a beach melee involving hundreds of people that spilled out onto the streets and a nearby bus depot.

Long Beach police say they are investigating the incident. There was no immediate word on arrests.

No injuries were reported.

According to Newsday , 11 Nassau police cars and two Metropolitan Transportation Authority police units assisted with the crowd control on Monday evening.

Police say a series of fights erupted on the beach just before it closed at 6 p.m. and continued for several hours. It was not clear whether the fights involved the same group of young people or different groups.

Police say the situation was brought under control by 9 p.m. MTA spokesman Sam Zambuto said the bus depot was cleared by 9:30 p.m.
Original story on myfoxny.com


Myrtle Beach police inundated with crime during 8-hour window
Reports run wild in 8-hour window

By Tonya Root - troot@thesunnews.com


Myrtle Beach police received reports of five armed robberies, a stabbing, a shooting and an incident involving a shotgun being pointed at a security guard during a nearly eight-hour period in the city early Sunday and Monday.

Because so many people were in the area for Memorial Day celebrations and the Atlantic Beach Bikefest, officers responded to numerous criminal complaints and traffic violations, said Myrtle Beach police Capt. David Knipes.

"Policing this event has always come with huge challenges. Unfortunately, criminal activity is often associated with large events, which is why we have deployed additional officers to allow us to respond to this increase in activity," Knipes said Monday afternoon. "All of the officers working this event have done an outstanding job in very stressful conditions."

The incidents and their details:

At 8:50 p.m. Sunday, a 39-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound. A woman told police he tripped and fell, which caused the gun to go off in her Myrtle Beach home at 716 62nd Ave. N., according to a police report.

The woman, whose age was not listed in the report, told police she had allowed the man to stay with her for a couple of days to help him out. She had told him he could not stay with her any longer, according to the report. The man was gathering his things to leave when he picked up a 22-caliber rifle.

The woman said the man asked if she wanted to sell the gun and she told him to put the gun down, according to the report. The woman told police the man turned with the gun in his hand, tripped and fell, which caused it to go off.

Additional details about the incident were not listed in the report.

At 9:30 p.m. Sunday, a police officer saw an 18-year-old man running, yelling that he had been robbed.

The 18-year-old, a 28-year-old man and another man whose age was not listed on the report told police they left their room at the Bar Harbor and were going downstairs when they were confronted by three men with guns.

One man ran away from the robbers, but the other two told police they were robbed of their belongings. The men told police the suspects went into a nearby room and police found two men matching their description inside.

Officers found marijuana and a stolen gun inside the room and arrested the two men, Knipes said. Charges are pending.

At 11:30 p.m. Sunday, police were called to Fourth Avenue South and Ocean Boulevard when someone pointed a gun at another person, Knipes said. The victims did not want police involved.

Officers were told by Family Kingdom security that a woman reported being raped by several men, Knipes said. The guard told the woman they had to call police, but she left and a short time later he saw her with a man in a sport utility vehicle.

The guard said the woman got out of the SUV and yelled at him about her property being stolen and the man got out and pointed a shotgun at the guard, who ran.

The couple returned to the SUV and left.

At 1 a.m. Monday, a 41-year-old man reported being stabbed in the abdomen. He told police he wasn't sure where the attack occurred. The man and his wife flagged down an officer from their fifth-floor hotel balcony at 1307 S. Ocean Blvd., to report the incident.

The man told police he and his wife were each on their motorcycles stopped at a traffic signal when a large group of people surrounded them and tried to grab the necklaces from his neck. The man said he felt a pinch to his side and the couple rode back to their hotel.

The man said that on the way up to their room, he noticed he had been stabbed, according to the report. The man was taken to Grand Strand Regional Medical Center for treatment.

The man's wife told police she was behind him on her motorcycle when the incident occurred. The woman said she tried to care for him when they got to the room and she cleared a coffee table to make him lie down, but he got on the bed.

The woman said she tried to call 911 from the hotel, but was put on hold so she hung up.

Police noticed broken glass on the hotel room floor and the woman said she broke a liquor bottle when she cleared the coffee table. The woman said she cleaned up the mess before police arrived.

The woman also had a cut to her foot and she said that occurred when she cleared the coffee table and the bottle was broken. Police also noted a broken shampoo bottle in the bathroom and shampoo on the mirror and ceiling.

At 2:45 a.m. Monday a 24-year-old man told police he was robbed in the area of 12th Avenue South and Yaupon Drive. The man told officers he was walking with a friend when two men, armed with a handgun, took the man's necklace, ring and cash.

The man said the robbers had their faces covered and officers could not find the man's friend in the area, according to the report.

At 3 a.m. Monday, a couple told Myrtle Beach police they were robbed at gunpoint by two men while on the beach.

The couple, ages 30 and 21, told officers they were at the beach near 26th Avenue South when two men approached them from a sand dune and pointed a gun at them, police said.

The man told police the robbers ordered them to the ground and went through their pockets. The man said the robbers took various items including necklaces, then ordered the couple to run toward the water.

The robbers ran along the beach until the man lost sight of them. The man and woman returned to their hotel room and called police.

When police ran the man's name through their computer system they learned he was the victim of a similar style robbery early March 13 in the 100 block of North Ocean Boulevard, according to the report. The man reported the same items reported stolen early Monday.

Officers forwarded the case to detectives for investigation.

At 4:30 Monday, police were called to the parking lot of the Greyhound Bus Station at Seventh Avenue North, where a driver for Beachside Cab told police he was hit in the head and robbed while sleeping in the driver's seat of his van, Knipes said. The driver told police the robber demanded money and hit him several times in the head before he threatened him with a gun.

The driver gave the man $320 and another man with the robber demanded the driver's cell phone before he hit the man. Both men ran from the area.
Contact TONYA ROOT at 444-1723.

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