Police beef up patrols in Center City after chaos caused by teens
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- An officer is recovering Thursday after hundreds of children caused chaos last night in Center City.
Four teens were cited for disorderly conduct, police say.
Now police, city officials and community leaders are trying to keep this from happening again.
Many organizations in the city are trying to find some way to keep these teens out of trouble.
Police say they will have extra patrols out Thursday night to make sure this doesn't happen again.
"Our belief is that these teens were not down here to go to the movies or go to the mall and have fun, they were here to be disorderly," Inspector Ray Evers, of the Philadelphia Police Department, said.
A cell phone video captured crowds of teens running down Market Street Wednesday night.
Police say there were hundreds of them causing problems and throwing rocks.
Officers tried to disperse the crowds that made it to City Hall.
Police say one officer injured his knee while chasing a teenager who tried to free a friend from the back of a police vehicle. The officer will be out of work for eight to 12 months, Evers said.
"We have 170 rec centers in the city, we 26 PAL centers in the city and we have numerous sports leagues and church groups throughout the city. This is what the kids should be doing. This is a parental issue," Evers said.
Police say this all started when officers noticed a 13-year-old with a gun. That gun was later determined to be an airsoft gun.
Not long after that, more teenagers arrived, according to police.
Police say the teens were riding SEPTA to get to different locations.
A SEPTA spokesperson says they worked with police to monitor and control the crowds and make sure riders are safe.
One of the many organizations trying to help is the NOMO Foundation, which is an early intervention and prevention program for youth and families in Philadelphia. They are holding an Easter concert at The Met this weekend trying to help one teen at a time.
"When you supplement idle time with structured activities, it puts our children in a better predicament," Dawan Williams, of NOMO, said.
"I think the more positive things we do the better outlook they will have on their future," Brian Thompson said.
Police say they are also looking into if and how social media is playing a role in the incident.
They say they are monitoring different apps.
