Officers hold teens, their parents accountable for Uptown Fourth of July chaos

CHARLOTTE — Just a day after chaos erupted in Uptown, the teens involved, along with their parents, are being held accountable.

Channel 9 brought you the story as breaking news on Tuesday night when crowds were seen running from Romare Bearden Park in Uptown just before the Charlotte Knights’ Skyshow at Truist Field. Witnesses recorded videos of fights starting in the crowd, causing families, especially those with young children, to begin running away from the park.

Ashlyn Diggs told Channel 9′s Erika Jackson that she was working near the park when the hectic situation unfolded.

“There were kids out there; there were parents and family members,” Diggs told Jackson. “For me, that was the most dangerous part.”

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Jackson and her photographer were live on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard as members of the crowd set off fireworks in the street.

“You can barely distinguish a firework between a gunshot nowadays,” Diggs said.

During a press conference, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings said the disturbance was planned. He went on to say that his department arrested or cited 17 minors and 15 adults; officers also took away four guns and cited 15 parents for their children’s involvement.

“You’re responsible for the behavior of your young children when you leave them unattended at an event like this,” Chief Jennings said.

Tesha Boyd is the founder of Promise Youth Development, a violence prevention group that works with families. While she is frustrated that the behavior in Uptown stopped families from having a fun and safe time, she believes the citation of parents may be a double-edged sword.

“There are numerous factors that contribute to the fact that parents don’t know every movement of their child,” Boyd said. “One could be that you are at work, and if you are working, there’s no other parent at home watching the kid, or keeping an eye out; anything can happen.”

Diggs told Jackson she was glad the people involved would have to take some accountability. She says Tuesday night’s incident has now taught her to always be aware of her surroundings.

“It won’t necessarily stop me from coming, but I do want to be more vigilant in the future,” Diggs said.

(WATCH BELOW: CMPD: Chaos in Uptown on July 4 was planned; 47 arrested and cited)

CMPD: Chaos in Uptown on July 4 was planned; 47 arrested and cited

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