Philly police break up another disorderly crowd of teens, this time near South Philly carnival
A large fight involving teens appeared to cause the ruckus, police said.
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Philadelphia police say they dispersed a crowd of “500 unruly juveniles” at a carnival at Seventh Street and Packer Avenue in South Philadelphia about 7:30 p.m. Friday.
A police report issued Saturday said that a large fight involving teens appeared to cause the ruckus.
No injuries were reported.
The Southeast Youth Athletic Association’s 2023 Easter Carnival, which began Thursday, is located near baseball fields at Seventh and Packer. The carnival runs through next Saturday with rides for all ages as well as games, food, and prizes for visitors. SEYAA provides year-round sporting activities for children ages 4 to 19. Attempts to reach the association Saturday were unsuccessful. Although SEYAA hosts the carnival, it is operated by Chester County-based Houghton Enterprises Inc.
Houghton said in an email to The Inquirer that it would “increase the number of Philadelphia police and private security for the duration of the week.”
According to police, there were also large gatherings by the nearby Live! Casino and the stadium area.
Police said the carnival was shut down and crowds were cleared by 9:55 p.m. Friday. A 14-year-old was arrested on the 3200 block of Darien Street, which is near the carnival, and charged with disorderly conduct, possessing an instrument of crime and recklessly endangering another person, police said.
A knife was recovered, but police did not release further details.
On its Facebook page Friday, Houghton Enterprises said the initial carnival schedule would go on as planned but no one under the age of 18 would be permitted without a guardian or proper ID.
On Wednesday night, a similar incident involving teens occurred in the Fashion District. A few hundred teens gathered around the mall in a “disorderly” fashion, according to police. Three teens were cited for disorderly conduct and another was cited for carrying an airsoft gun. Police said one officer reported injuring his knee while chasing after a suspect.