ORLANDO — A wild “teen takeover” at the popular Icon Park tourist spot has sparked fresh fury after parents of some of the arrested kids demanded that cops get suspended for using what they called “unnecessary force.”
The chaos erupted back on April 25 when more than 1,000 teens swarmed the International Drive attraction, home to the massive Orlando Eye Ferris wheel, after the gathering was hyped on social media.
Fights broke out across the area around 7:30 p.m. Families dining nearby scrambled for cover as the scene turned into a full-blown brawl. Orange County sheriff’s deputies rushed in with a massive response, more than 50 officers, to restore order.
Nine teens, ages 13 to 16, were arrested on charges including battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest, affray, and trespassing. Two deputies suffered minor injuries while breaking up the fights and were hospitalized before being released.
Now, some parents are crying foul, especially over a video of one dramatic arrest that shows a deputy tackling a 14-year-old to the ground amid the melee.
The boy’s family claims the force was excessive. His grandmother said the deputy could have simply cuffed the teen once he was down instead of picking him up and slamming him again. The family says the deputy later apologized, but they still plan to file a formal complaint with the sheriff’s office.
The post, which included dramatic footage of officers physically subduing one of the youths in the grass while a crowd watched, has racked up tens of thousands of views and ignited a firestorm online.
Sheriff John Mina didn’t mince words about the bigger picture. He urged parents to monitor their kids’ social media and “invest your life in the lives of your children.”
“What do they get out of it?” Mina asked of the takeovers. “Some people went to jail.”Icon Park later rolled out a new chaperone policy for unaccompanied minors after the embarrassing incident.
While the teens’ families are focused on the cops’ tactics, many are asking the obvious question: Where were the parents when their kids were out running wild, starting fights, and turning a family tourist destination into a combat zone?
