Hundreds of teenagers brawled outside a Boston movie theater offering $4 tickets — with police reporting being punched, kicked, and even choked.
Two large brawls — one involving as many as 400 people — broke out in the city late Sunday outside an AMC Theater offering discounted tickets for National Cinema Day.
It ended with 13 children – from just 12 to 17 – charged with assault and battery on a police officer, disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace, police said.
Local businesses were forced to close early during the rampage that saw teenagers jump on top of cars, police said.
“This behavior is not juvenile behavior – it is criminal behavior,” Police Commissioner Michael Cox said at a news conference Monday.
Both incidents involved “a lot of young people, no supervision — and we ended up having to go in and supervise with an arrest,” Cox said.
A brawl involving nearly 400 young people started outside an AMC theater on District Avenue around 5pm on Sunday.@spydaman617/Twitter
In one incident, police officers even filed a complaint with a state social worker, according to the Boston Globe.
The first fight started around 5pm at the South Bay mall in Dorchester, where police said nearly 400 young people started fighting outside an AMC theater on District Avenue.
“Officers observed a large group of juveniles causing a disturbance,” police said in a press release. “Multiple teenagers failed to disperse from the area and confronted the officers.
Hundreds brawled outside a Boston movie theater offering $4 tickets.CBS Boston
“When the juveniles tried to arrest the suspect, they were met with resistance by other juveniles who began attacking the officers.”
Multiple businesses in the area were forced to close early amid the chaos, and nearby Target even stacked shopping carts behind its glass doors to make sure no one could get in, CBS News reported.
Moviegoers also said they had to evacuate theaters, with one woman who wanted to see “Barbie” telling CBS: “When we go to the theaters, AMC, they guard the doors.
“They said they had everything covered and we could get an automatic refund for our tickets.”
Boston police responded to another mass fight outside the AMC Boston Common 19 at 10 p.m. Sunday.CBS Boston
Eventually, officers arrested eight teenagers involved in the massive brawl – two aged 12, four aged 14 and two aged 17.
But about five hours later, another 150 youths filled the streets and sidewalks outside AMC Boston Common 19 — where one teenager was seen jumping on top of a car and slamming the roof.
Boston police said they were called to break up “multiple fights” just before 10 p.m., but when they arrived, the teenagers surrounded them, cursed at them and assaulted them.
“An officer was pushed to the ground and continued to be punched and kicked by the group,” the police department said.
“A responding officer attempting to assist, was also assaulted by the group,” the department said — with “a juvenile jumping on the officer’s back and placing the officer in a choke hold.”
Five teenagers were arrested in the fight, including a 13-year-old, a 16-year-old and three 14-year-olds.
A total of 13 young people were arrested in the two incidents between the ages of 12 and 17. CBS Boston
It was unclear if the officers were injured in the attack.
The fight comes amid an increase in violence among juveniles in Boston.
There have been more than 40 juvenile-related incidents at the South Bay mall in Dorchester since June, according to police.
Just last week, four teenagers were arrested there after they allegedly assaulted someone, and in another incident earlier this month, six teenagers were arrested after allegedly assaulting police officers, throwing rocks and breaking the windows of a cruiser.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
