Brawling teenagers at a Northtown Mall carnival Saturday forced the event to close early and injured one officer who tried to break it up, Blaine police said Monday.
Brawl erupts at Northtown Mall carnival; officer injured while intervening
One of the officers who jumped in to stop the fight suffered a concussion, police said.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
May 14, 2024 at 12:40AM
The fight happened around 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the carnival, and was captured by drone police footage that was included in a police news release.
The officers working security at the mall had reported roughly 200 teenagers between the ages of 14 and 17 for rowdy behavior about a half hour earlier, Blaine police said in the release.
The video shows five teenage girls start fighting before several officers step in to break it up. One of the officers tries to pull apart two teenagers punching each other but ends up falling to the ground in a pile with them. The video shows one of the teenagers strike the officer in the head with her elbow as she continues to fight with the other girl on the ground. That officer was later diagnosed with a concussion and will be off work for at least a week, Blaine Police Captain Mark Boerboom said.
Others jump in and start punching or kicking those on the ground.
Officers pull the teenagers away from the pile and help the officer, and they appear to detain at least a couple of those involved in the fight.
Additional officers responded, including some from other agencies in Anoka County, to try to disperse the crowd, police said. The large group ran away after an officer threatened to use a chemical spray about 3 minutes into the incident, the release said.
It forced the carnival to close early on Saturday; it was the second year in a row a disruption has forced the event to close early. The carnival’s management team has been working with the city and police and will make several changes to increase security, including fencing the carnival in and creating a single entry point, carnival management said. Those under 18 will not be allowed in without a parent or an adult guardian’s supervision.
“It’s unfortunate because there are a lot of families there that are trying to have a good time, and unfortunately this group ruined it for them,” Boerboom said in a phone call.
Two of the teenagers have been charged with assault, and additional charges are possible, Boerboom said in the release. The carnival is scheduled to reopen Wednesday and run through Sunday, with the new fencing installed.
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