Police call in help as crowd of nearly 100 teens turns ‘volatile’ in Blue Springs
A large gathering of teens for a “truck meet-up” at a Blue Springs shopping district “became increasingly volatile” Saturday night, prompting officers to request assistance and a large police response from surrounding communities.
In a post on Facebook, the Blue Springs Police Department said the disturbance involving nearly 100 teens occurred Saturday night at an unspecified shopping district as they tried to arrest a person under 18 years old for careless driving. Police said many of the youths were not from Blue Springs.
Over the past several weeks, high school-aged teens have been gathering at the shopping center for the meet-up, police said. While most followed the law, there have been occasional issues involving small groups of teens.
On Saturday, the meet-up escalated. Police said there were reports of reckless driving throughout the parking lot, a fire, underage drinking, and disturbing others at the shopping district.
During the arrest, a large crowd surrounded officers and interfered by yelling profanities and racial slurs, police said.
“As the crowd grew and the situation became increasingly volatile, a supervisor requested additional resources,” police said.
Law enforcement officers from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Grain Valley, Buckner, Lone Jack and Oak Grove responded and helped disperse the crowd.
Police said they would be working with the owners in the shopping district to develop a response plan, which will include an increased law enforcement presence.
Some of the laws they will focus on include disturbing the peace, underage drinking, careless and imprudent driving, trespassing, disorderly conduct, unlawful assembly, and Missouri’s new Halo Law, which makes it a misdemeanor crime to approach within 20 feet of a first responder after being warned.
