At the McDonalds on International Drive, there was a swarm of teenagers at every corner. Orange County sheriffs patrolled the area trying to regulate the situation. Although customers have reported the incident, with more details still on the rise, the situation runs deeper than a couple of misbehaving kids.
On April 25th, more than 1000 teenagers coordinated a “takeover” at ICON Park. This rowdy event in Orlando lead to two hospitalized deputies and 9 people arrested. The deputies that were injured are expected to fully recover, but they haven’t disclosed a specific date.
Orange County Sherrif office has reported that most involved were between the ages of 13 to 16-years-old. The arrests range from trespassing and resisting officers.
Sheriff John Mina gave a statement discussing how the Orange County Police Department was able to react to such a large incident. The police tracked the rise of the gathering on social media which they gave me information on location and intentions.
For this reason, the police expected the spurge of people. However, they could not have expected the mass of fights that would soon break out. Over 50 deputies had to settle disputes amongst the teens and ease the violence within numerous crowds.
The deputies have said that it took hours to even begin dispersing the large crowds. The sheriff’s office urged parents to take upon themselves a responsibility to monitor their children’s social media accounts. This being said, they have already been made aware of a future teen takeover at the same location, set to May 9th.
Despite the quick reaction, the Orange County Police Department has received some backlash from family members involved in the event.
A 14-year-old who was a part of the supposed “takeover” has reported an incident where his family claimed to be too excessive. Tavorian Dade explained that another kid had picked a fight with him, and in the midst of defending himself the police came to separate them.
Dade did not make note of the uniform as he was fighting and assumed that he was “getting jumped.” According to his account, as soon as he realized, he stopped. Yet, Dade was charged with resisting arrest without violence.
Dade’s family claimed that the police acted forcefully, noting that he still feels sore throughout his body. His grandmother, Tamika Martel, explained that he is only a child and the way the deputy slammed him into the ground, rather than simply cuff him, was excessive and inappropriate.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office has received information about the family’s claims, without a response yet.
Just like Sheriff John Mina, Martel encouraged parents to connect with their children. This means creating the communication between both parties so there is an honesty about what the children are investing their time into. This can create a mutual relationship between law enforcement and parents, with a united goal of keeping children.
