Elizabeth cops trying to ID teens in 'riot-like' Snapchat brawl
Police in Elizabeth Borough are trying to identify more than two dozen teens and young adults involved in an April 11 brawl that investigators said was organized on social media.
Charges will be filed once investigators identify the people involved or who attended the fight, police Chief William Sombo said.
The teens and young adults first gathered at a park and later fought at a boat ramp.
“These kids did not go to the park to play. They did not go to the launch to take a boat ride,” Sombo said. “This was an organized fight that turned into a riot-like situation. We are working to find out who was there and when we do, they will be charged.”
Sombo said the fight involving between 25 and 30 people was organized using Snapchat, and a number of spectators recorded video of the melee and uploaded it to social media sites. Sombo said police are trying to identify everyone involved and whether they fought, watched or took video.
The video shows numerous people throwing punches and includes images of a person being knocked to the ground and held down while people stomp on his head.
The fight was initially scheduled to take place around 7 p.m. in Duke Park but was interrupted by a patrol officer who came upon the large crowd that had gathered, Sombo said. The officer turned on his lights and the kids ran. Sombo said many challenged the officer and yelled profanities at him.
About 30 minutes later, the officer was dispatched to the boat docks at the end of First Street for a report of a large fight.
All but three of the people at the boat-dock fight fled before the officer arrived, Sombo said.
The boat docks and park are about five blocks apart.
The following day, video of the brawl began popping up on social media.
The chief said several people already have been identified and the video is being shared with officials in several local school districts to try to determine who was at the fight.
This is not the first time young people in the borough have used their fists to settle differences.
In 2011, police issued a warning to parents and young people in the borough after videos surfaced showing young men brawling under the Elizabeth Bridge, which is a popular gathering spot in the borough.
At the time, police said participants in the fights would be charged if they continued.
Tony LaRussa is a TribLive reporter. A Pittsburgh native, he covers crime and courts in the Alle-Kiski Valley. He can be reached at tlarussa@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.