Baltimore police break up fights, disperse "teen takeover" at The Rotunda
Baltimore police responded to a disturbance involving a large group of students at The Rotunda in the Hampden neighborhood Monday afternoon, authorities said.
Officers responded shortly before 4 p.m. to the 700 block of W. 40th Street after security reported a large crowd of students visiting several stores in the area and using the public space. Reports on social media described it as a "teen takeover."
Police said two students riding Lime scooters lost control and were involved in separate crashes. One scooter broke a window at Cinnaholic, while the other hit a vehicle in a parking lot.
Officers also broke up a fight involving several female students.
The property owner asked police to escort everyone out of the area, including students and customers.
Police dispersed the crowd without incident.
CBS News Baltimore has reported on planned "teen takeovers" across the state, including in Baltimore County, in areas like Towson, Owings Mills and White Marsh.
The Rotunda released a statement on Tuesday stating that they were made aware of the "teen takeover" from social media and took extra security measures, including deploying additional security personnel to the site.
"The safety and security of our tenants, guests, and visitors remain our top priority. We will continue to maintain an enhanced security presence onsite and remain vigilant in monitoring and responding to any potential concerns," said the Rotunda Property Management Team.
As attendance grew and behavior became disruptive, Baltimore police were called.
Baltimore police arrived quickly and worked with onsite security to disperse the crowd. The Rotunda property management thanked the police for their swift response and their partnership.
Mayor Brandon Scott said on Tuesday that he wanted to clear up some misconceptions about the "teen takeover." He claimed the property damage was accidental and that the teens were not setting out to destroy property.
Scott did say, however, that there needs to be some level of accountability for the fights that took place.
