Posted on July 5, 2012

Fights Interrupt Fireworks Display

WALB 10 (Albany, GA), July 4, 2012

Albany Police suspended the July 4th fireworks show Wednesday night because they say a series of fights put families, who were there to enjoy a night of fun, in danger.

Chief John Proctor said a number of fights broke out in the Turtle Park area where many people gathered to watch the fireworks show. He said it became a safety and crowd control issue, and police officers made the decision to suspend the fireworks.

About 10:45 p.m., the Chief told WALB News Ten the area had been cleared. A few minutes later, Capt. Reginald Brown told us the fireworks show did resume, although few people were there to see the end of it.

The Chief said APD had 85 officers assigned to the event. He said there was no gunfire and there’s no indication that gangs were involved. Proctor blamed the problems on juveniles who were downtown without any adult supervision.

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WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

[Editor’s Note: According to the 2010 census, Albany, GA is 71.6 percent black and 25.2 percent white.]