Unruly mobs vandalize police cars in Fishtown, Spring Garden
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - It was a wild scene in Philadelphia this weekend after large crowds gathered for drag racing in Fishtown and Spring Garden and vandalized several police cars. In some cases, officers were still inside the vehicles when they were vandalized.
Philadelphia police continue to track down whoever organized the chaos.
It all started around 12:30 a.m. Sunday, police responded to reports of drag racing and a large crowd outside the Target on the 400 block of North 5th Street in Spring Garden.
"I'm out here at ground zero surrounded by hundreds of vehicles," a Philadelphia police officer said on a radio call.
Cell phone video shows some of the participants jumping on top of police vehicles. Officers say one of their cars was damaged and the group slashed the tires of several police vehicles earlier that day.
Two hours after that scene, two more police vehicles were damaged after several hundred vehicles gathered near Rivers Casino in Fishtown.
Police say several dirt bikes and a large crowd of people blocked the entry and exit to the casino parking lot while multiple cars performed donuts in the middle of Delaware Avenue.
Video from the Citizen app shows police responding to reports of drag racers in the area.
Police say they attempted to disperse the crowd using overhead lights and horn. But, an "aggressive" crowd jumped on the officer's vehicle and banged on his windows, according to police.
Responding officers entered the crowd with their vehicles to provide assistance, but the crowd began pounding on that police vehicle and flattened its tires, authorities say.
When more police arrived on the scene, the crowd dispersed. No one was injured during the incident.
CBS News Philadelphia tracked down the social media invite titled "Act a Fool." The event encouraged participants to meet up and roll out by 10:30 p.m. Saturday.
Similar swarms have overtaken the city streets in recent weeks, and residents are worried that with nicer weather on the way this type of behavior will only get worse.
"They think they own the streets all the time, not only on the weekends," Northeast Philadelphia resident Jan Matthews said. "I think the parents need to change and know where their kids are and if it's adults then they need to be caught and prosecuted."
Police say none of their officers were injured.
They are currently working on identifying those responsible but so far no arrests have been made.