HOUSTON – Houston police were called to Discovery Green at about 9:23 p.m. Saturday after receiving reports of a “teenager takeover” at the downtown park, authorities said.
Officers arriving at the area found an estimated 500 to 600 juveniles, along with various adults, gathered at Discovery Green. Additional Houston Police Department resources responded to help with crowd control, with officers focused on preventing the group from dispersing into other locations — particularly the FIFA Fan Fest, police said.
HPD said resources from the Downtown Division and the Patrol Support Division responded, and captains coordinated additional personnel by phone as officers worked to break up the crowd.
While officers were dispersing people from the park, police said another large crowd gathered across the street. Multiple shots were fired from that location, prompting officers and multiple police units to run toward where the gunfire occurred. Police said they continued dispersal efforts after the first round of shots. No injuries were reported and no officers were hurt.
About 10 to 15 minutes later, police said a second round of shots was fired. More than 100 police units responded to assist, and officers remained on scene for several hours attempting to disperse the crowd.
Police said their response helped prevent any incidents from occurring at the FIFA Fan Fest.
One juvenile male and one adult male were detained, police said, and both were found in possession of firearms. Authorities said both were located in the area where shots were fired and will likely be taken downtown for further investigation.
An investigative division is assisting with the ongoing investigation. Rapid mobilization patrol units from stations citywide were also requested due to the size of the crowd.
Following the gathering, Mayor John Whitmire thanked law enforcement for their rapid response:
I am proud of the Houston Police Department response to last night’s incident. The gathering was mostly organized and attended by people from outside Houston. It was an attempted park and street takeover.
We love having folks enjoy our city, but everyone needs to follow the law and respect public safety. Thanks to the professionalism and training of our HPD officers, they brought the situation under control quickly and safely. HPD’s ability to rapidly deploy resources made a big difference, and the more than 800 additional officers we’ve hired since I took office have further strengthened our response and helped keep our communities safe.
Mayor John Whitmire