Thousands of teens fight in Raleigh: 9 hurt, dozens arrested after massive July 4 'teen takeovers'

Thousands of teenagers took over Fourth of July celebrations at Brier Creek and on Glenwood South over the weekend. Raleigh police said nine people were hurt in shootings stemming from these "teen takeovers."

The WRAL Breaking News Tracker was there at 2:45 a.m. on Sunday as Raleigh police taped off several blocks near Glenwood Avenue and Peace Street.

According to police, more than 5,000 teens showed up at the district and began fighting in the street. Court records show dozens of criminal charges related to several fist fights in the street and others resisting arrest. Businesses on social media described the scene as "chaotic."

A Facebook post by Super Rad Retro Lounge said, "Why was there hundreds, if not thousands, of underage kids walking around on Glenwood from 1 a.m. to 3 a.m.? People fighting in the streets, groups of teens and young 20-somethings actively looking to fight other groups?"

Police said officers responded to multiple shootings in and around the Glenwood South district:

• 1:34 a.m. Sunday: 610 Glenwood Avenue.
• 2:05 a.m. Sunday: 700 Tucker Street.
• 2:30 a.m. Sunday: 14 Glenwood Avenue.
• 3:26 a.m. Sunday: 620 West Lane Street.

According to court documents, at least 27 people between are facing 47 charges stemming from that situation in the district. They range in age from 18 to 24 with charges ranging from simple affray to assaulting a police officer.

One arrest warrant shows Raleigh Police Chief Rico Boyce was at the scene Saturday night. The warrant states the suspect was arrested after resisting Boyce. Another suspect was accused of resisting arrest and trying to fight others as he was being taken into custody.

Court documents also said a police officer's arm was cut and bleeding as they tried to break up a fight on the street, and another officer was hit in the chest after taking a drink from a person carrying an open container illegally.

Boyce provided the following statement to WRAL News:

"What happened across our city on the Fourth of July is both heartbreaking and unacceptable. Our thoughts are with every victim, every family, and everyone whose lives were impacted by these senseless acts of violence. We remain committed to identifying those responsible, holding them accountable, and working alongside our community to prevent this from happening again. Public safety is a shared responsibility, and it will take all of us—law enforcement, parents, community leaders, and residents—to ensure Raleigh remains a safe place to live, work, and visit."

Teen takeover began in Brier Creek

Police officers said that the teen takeover first began at the Brier Creek Commons shopping center, where 3,000 teens showed up for a Star Spangled Block Party held near the shopping center's clocktower.

After the teens were removed from the venue, police say a large fight broke out, and two adults were injured after shots were fired. One adult was hit by gunfire, while the other was hit by glass from a shot-out car window.

According to the Raleigh Police Department, about half of the teens who showed up to the teen takeover on Glenwood South were at the incident in Brier Creek.

Police said they took a juvenile into custody at Brier Creek and found that they had a handgun. However, they did not believe that they were one of the shooters.

After the Glenwood South shootings, police officers were investigating a related shooting at a gas station on Capital Boulevard, that left two people hurt.

Everyone injured in the shootings at Brier Creek, Glenwood South and Captial Boulevard is expected to be OK, and police said they are still searching for the shooters in all three incidents.

'We can do better': Glenwood South businesses express frustration about takeovers on social media

Multiple businesses in the district said they closed early in order to protect patrons and staff.

"Gun violence and reckless behavior have no place in our nightlife scene," Milk Bar wrote on Instagram. "We can do better, Raleigh."

Many businesses, including Super Rad Retro Lounge, condemned the situation on Saturday, saying it is reinforcing stereotypes about the district.

"Enough people did create a scene that caused a large portion of this street to close down early," the bar wrote.

"It caused legitimate fear in regular people who were out to have a good time. And this is happening on a regular basis enough to reinforce this stereotype of Glenwood as a trashy place to hang out."

Both Milk Bar and Super Rad Retro Lounge thanked police and first responders for their actions Saturday night, saying that they love Glenwood South and they don't want the district's reputation to be tarnished by what happened.

"People of Raleigh, and most importantly the parents of Raleigh who had kids out on the streets last night, we are better than this," Super Rad Retro Lounge wrote. "We cannot be another tale of a thriving city turning into a chaotic mess at night and reinforcing stereotypes of crime, violence, and downtown nightlife being dangerous in cities."