Video shows response to ‘large and unruly crowd’ that caused chaos in downtown Towson

By Mike Hellgren

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    BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Video from the Citizen app shows the police response to what authorities called a “large and unruly” crowd of juveniles in downtown Towson on Friday night.

WJZ reviewed the police dispatch calls from the incident, which unfolded just after 8 p.m. off Joppa Road.

“I’m driving around the mall, and I can see about three large groups making their way towards Joppa,” one officer said.

Another officer noted that “there’s clearly a bunch of them in the area of central Towson, a bunch of different groups.”

“Just got a call from the Cinemark,” a dispatcher said. “Got a couple hundred kids in front of their location is what they’re saying.”

K-9 and aviation units were called in, and police had to close down part of Joppa Road between Virginia Avenue and York Road.

“They’re going to make an announcement at this point,” an officer said just before 8:30 p.m. “Anybody who is trespassing is subject to arrest. This has gone on long enough.”

Police ended up making eight arrests. Seven of those arrested were juveniles.

The Baltimore County Police Department said in a press statement that while there were numerous reports of weapons, none were found.

There was some property damage, but police worked with private security to restrict access to businesses.

No one was injured.

“That was definitely organized,” Patrick, a longtime Towson resident, said. “You can’t have 200 people in the same place at the same time if you’re not talking to one another.”

“These kids get in these big groups, and they go crazy,” Towson resident Philip Amrhein said.

Towson Town Center has a curfew. No unaccompanied minors are allowed on Friday and Saturday nights.

Similar incidents have happened in the past. Last February, police arrested six juveniles following fights in the mall that spilled outside and injured officers and damaged property.

As for the latest incident, Baltimore County’s Chief of Police Dennis Delp called his department’s response “effective and professional” and said the department reached out to businesses impacted by what happened.

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