Weekend Disturbances: Brooklyn Center Police Respond To Kylawn Park, Crystal Preemptively Closes Becker Park
Police responded to a large gathering Saturday at Kylawn Park in Brooklyn Center where several had gotten into a fight, police said.
According to Brooklyn Center police, officers showed up at around 4 p.m. Saturday as the crowd grew to around 100 people, many of them teenagers.
Brooklyn Center police Cmdr. Tony Gruenig said officers had received a call of several fighting in the park, while dozens of others were watching.
Gruenig said two people were cited and released at the scene.
Officers from the Brooklyn Park and Maple Grove Police Departments assisted Brooklyn Center in dispersing the crowd.
Smaller groups of 20 to 30 people were seen leaving into surrounding streets about a mile from the park.
Police have taken these large gatherings seriously as similar occurrences have resulted in shots fired.
Crystal Closes Becker Park Saturday Afternoon
The city of Crystal, meanwhile, preemptively closed Becker Park on Saturday.
Police began enforcing the closure at about 2 p.m. after receiving word of a “park takeover” event. The closure lasted through the rest of the night Saturday.
Like other northwest suburbs, Crystal has dealt with large gatherings of youth. It’s also not the first preemptive closure at Becker Park.
Crystal police say the took the proactive step to prevent injuries and damage to property that have occurred at previous takeovers not only at Becker Park, but other parks around the metro.
“Previous arrests for these occurrences this summer have included charges for assault, riot, and criminal trespassing,” Crystal police said in a statement.
It’s unclear if the Brooklyn Center incident was connected to information Crystal police had received.
NOTE: This story has been updated from an earlier version.
Also See: Brooklyn Park Police Make Plea To Keep Youth Gatherings Under Control
