This browser does not support the Video element.
Crystal police respond to teen disturbances at Becker Park
Police say they responded to "large disturbances" at Becker Park in Crystal after groups of teenagers swarmed the area. FOX 9's Leon Purvis has the full report.
CRYSTAL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Unsupervised teenagers gathered in large numbers at Becker Park in Crystal, leading to repeated police intervention over several days.
Police respond to ongoing disturbances at Becker Park
What we know:
Police say for three days, they cleared out large groups of unsupervised teenagers from Becker Park after fights and disturbances broke out. Officers say the recent warm weather may have contributed to the crowds.
Authorities found toy guns that shoot water gel beads, pepper spray and a taser at the park. Police say the teenagers used ride-share apps to get to the park, and once there, the situation became dangerous.
Crystal Police Chief Brian Hubbard said, "We went in to disperse those crowds, which we were able to do on Saturday and Monday. On Sunday, the crowd was so big and so charged that the decision was to close the park entirely."
A woman who visited the park with her children described the scene as chaotic. "They was jumping, leaping over each other, trying to get into the crowd," said Diana Jones, a Minneapolis resident.
The group moved to nearby businesses and shopping centers
Timeline:
After police dispersed the crowd at Becker Park, officers say the teenagers went to nearby businesses and shopping centers where they continued to be disruptive.
Police arrested multiple teenagers and charged them with disorderly conduct, trespassing and theft. The mother who spoke with FOX 9 said she plans to bring her daughter back to Becker Park, but will visit earlier in the day.
The Crystal Police Department says it has a zero-tolerance policy for this kind of behavior, but some people commenting on the department’s Facebook page are worried the teenagers are being unfairly targeted.
The other side:
Addressing these concerns, Hubbard said, "As someone who’s a person of color and has children that are person of color, I’m going to look anybody in the eye and go 'This isn’t racially motivated, this is about my job and the job of my team is to make sure anybody that’s in this community is safe.'"
What's next:
Police say extra patrols are now in place around Becker Park to prevent further disturbances.
The Source: This story uses information from the Crystal Police Department and a witness gathered by FOX 9 reporter Leon Purvis.