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Crime & Safety

Teens Arrested After Street Hockey Rink Knife Fight

Police broke up a teen fight involving knives; one witness said a police officer repeatedly hit one of the teens

Police broke up a large fight involving knife-carrying teens this morning at a street hockey rink on the .

Police were called to the rink, which has been known as a site for drug deals and fights, at 10:09 a.m., according to a police report. When they showed up, teens scattered from the rink, which is behind 230 South St.

Officers stopped one teen, later identified as Jenry Gonzalez, 18, and saw he had a black eye and a bloody nose. They told all the teens to stay where they were. One of them had what police describe as a "large black folding knife with a serrated blade." That blade was about 4 inches long.

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Gonzalez tried several times to walk away and kicked an officer in the shin, according to a police report. He was informed he was arrested for assault and battery and police performed what they called an "arm bar takedown" to put him on the ground.

Another teen told police that "you better arrest me too!" and came at the back of the officer involved with Gonzalez. Another officer intervened and the teen allegedly pushed him to get nearer to Gonzalez. This second teen, Rashad Goode, 18, was arrested and charged with assault and battery on a police officer. Police say a search of Goode uncovered a 3.2-inch folding knife with a locking blade.

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Meanwhile, another group of teens had fled down the Southwest Corridor Park toward JP Center. Police asked that group to stop, but only one of them did. The group ran down Hall Street toward South Street, police say. When police caught up with them, an officer put her hand on the shoulder of a 16-year-old girl to get her to stop. The 16-year-old, police say, punched the police officer in the mouth, grabbed her by the neck and collar and wouldn't let go. As officers subdued and handcuffed the 16-year-old, a 15-year-old girl started punching the officers' backs.

Police issued an "officer in trouble" alert. In all, police from three precincts were involved in the effort to pacify the situation.

The 16-year-old and 15-year-old were arrested and charged with assault and battery on a police officer. Under a parked car where the 16-year-old was arrested, police found a multicolored sock filled with rocks. Police could not tell which teen might have been carrying the weapon. The 15-year-old was found to be carrying pepper spray, which is illegal for persons her age.

A Patch employee who witnessed the melee on Hall Street saw it differently than the police report. He said he never saw or heard the 16-year-old make a verbal or physical provocation toward the arresting officer.

Here's how he saw it:

"At about 10:15 a.m. this morning, Dec. 9, I heard yelling as though a fight was in process, right outside my living room window at the intersection of Hall and South streets.  I looked outside and saw a group of teenage women, possibly about 6 or 7, walking west down Hall Street.  They were talking loudly, but it wasn't clear whether or not they were the people who had been yelling, or whether it had been other folks passing by. 

About 30 seconds after I looked out my window a police car pulled up from South Street and turned onto Hall Street, and an officer, a black female with a side-shaved hairstyle, jumped out and ran up to one girl who was about 50 feet away from the rest of the group.   

This officer, who other police officers later addressed as Ayanna, immediately grabbed the girl by the sweatshirt and put her hand on the teenager's throat.  The girl screamed "Don't hurt me!" and the officer then started punching the teenage girl with one arm while pressing her other hand into the girl's neck.  The girl also had both hands up on either side of her head, palms facing forward, to indicate to the officer that she was not resisting arrest or fighting back, but the officer continued to punch her and hold her throat. 

Another cop, a black female with a ponytail, attempted to intervene, but the original officer continued punching the girl until she laid face down on the concrete and was handcuffed.  At no time was a verbal or physical provocation towards the arresting officer, "Ayanna," from the teenage girl, who her friends called Rochelle, ever witnessed.

Around the time of the arrest of the first girl, about six other police cars pulled up onto Hall Street, including a 'Special Operations' truck.  Several of the other girls were taken into custody, and they did not resist arrest.

At this point I left my house and went outside to speak to the officers.  I told a Boston Police officer everything I had witnessed, then went inside and photographed the remaining arrests from my window."

Police spokesperson Elaine Driscoll said none of the arrested teens made allegations of physical abuse against the officers. One police officer suffered a cut to her right ring finger, but did not seek treatment for the injury. Another officer, the one who was punched in the mouth, suffered bleeding and swelling from a cut lower lip.

In addition to the charges listed above, police cited Gonzalez and Goode for possession of under an ounce of pot. A 19-year-old was also given a citation for "Prohibited Carrying of a Knife."

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