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"Disorderly and dangerous" groups of children causing disturbances at Crystal park, police say

By
Anthony Bettin
Digital Producer, CBS Minnesota
Anthony Bettin is a web producer at CBS Minnesota. He primarily covers breaking news and sports, with a focus on the Minnesota Vikings.
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Anthony Bettin,
Jason Rantala
Jason Rantala
Reporter
Jason Rantala joined WCCO as a reporter in June 2023. He's a Minnesota native and is thrilled to be telling the stories of those in his hometown.
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Jason Rantala

/ CBS Minnesota

Police in a northwestern Minneapolis suburb say dozens of "unsupervised juveniles" gathered at one of the city's parks on three straight days, becoming so "disorderly and dangerous" that multiple agencies responded and the park was temporarily closed.

The Crystal Police Department said between 75 and 150 children caused the commotion at Becker Park earlier this week. Police allege they came from "outside the city" via rideshare services.

"Numerous fights broke out, juveniles were dangerously using Orbeez guns (many which looked like real firearms), pepper spray was used, and at least one taser-type device was located," the department said. "Officers quickly determined these groups were unmanageable and creating an unsafe situation for all at the park."

Diana Jones says she and her 10-year-old daughter left when fights started breaking out Sunday night. It was the third night in a row police say they had to clear the park.

"We made a handful of arrests over the course of the weekend as we were flushing the groups out," said Crystal Police Chief Brian Hubbard. 

He added that park disturbances have been a problem for several years. Two years ago, teenagers swarmed Becker Park to party. Last year, police also closed the park after detectives discovered online chatter about a similar event.

"We're not going to allow this activity to happen. We're going to have zero tolerance for this behavior in one of our parks," he said.

After clearing the park, though, police said they "spent the next few hours" dispersing splinter groups in other parts of the city. "Numerous" arrests were made and some kids were banned from the park for two years.

Malik Mujaheed at Bella's Beauty Supply in the area said some people came from the park and tried to rob the store. Mujaheed said the shop owner was pepper sprayed, and she defended her store.

"We as a community of businesses has to help the police by not being afraid to speak up and speak out," said Mujaheed.

Hubbard says they're currently looking at charging some of the parents of the 11- to 16-year-olds who caused trouble.

"My message to the community would be that we need parents to know where their kids are," he said. "And we need parents to know that if your child is coming to a park with a number of unsupervised juveniles, that that potentially doesn't end well."

The department said it will be conducting extra patrols at the park, turning away large groups that arrive via rideshare and arresting and trespassing additional violators.

"Since the city reimagined and reinvested in Becker Park five years ago, it has become a wonderful regional destination park for countless kids and families to enjoy," police said. "The city and the Police Department are very committed to taking the necessary steps to ensuring the park remains a welcoming and safe place for those kids and families." 

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