February 11, 2024
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
Police are searching for a suspect who allegedly fired a handgun during a large juvenile gathering near Temple University's campus on Saturday. No injuries were reported, according to authorities.
Police are investigating after a suspect allegedly fired a gun near a crowd of hundreds of juveniles gathered by Temple University's campus on Saturday.
Last week, Temple's Department of Public Safety became aware of a "meet-up" happening Saturday at Broad Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue and coordinated with Temple and Philadelphia police accordingly, according to a statement posted Sunday. Police officers were stationed in the area and cameras were being monitored, and the group of juveniles was "orderly" at first, according to officials.
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By 4:30 p.m., up to 500 juveniles had gathered near Temple's Liacouras Center, and could be seen running into the street and weaving through traffic, 6ABC reported. Fights also broke out, and officers began dispersing the crowd and taking several people into custody, according to authorities.
Just before 6 p.m., as officers were dispersing the crowd, they heard a gunshot near Park and Cecil B. Moore avenues. They then heard a second gunshot near Broad Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue, according to officials.
Police are now looking for the one person believed to have fired a handgun into the air twice as officers dispersed the crowd. Officers have released a photo of the suspect, who is considered "armed and dangerous." Anyone who has information on the suspect should call 215-204-1234.
CAMPUS ALERT: pic.twitter.com/10pwT7sxRK
— Temple Public Safety (@TU_Police) February 11, 2024
The area of the meet-up was clear by around 8:30 p.m., but officers remained in the area throughout the night. There is no evidence of any injuries, according to authorities. As of Sunday morning, seven juveniles between the ages of 13 and 16 have been cited for disorderly conduct, officials say.
"Keeping the community safe, informed and connected is our number 1 priority, and one we take very seriously," Jennifer D. Griffin, the vice president and chief of public safety at Temple, said in a statement.
"Our detectives are continuing to utilize camera footage and other leads to identify those individuals who came to our campus to create disorder. This behavior is not acceptable and will not be tolerated. As we always do, we will continue to review this incident internally and with our partners and will continue to work with PPD and law enforcement leadership regarding crowd control and management to protect Temple and the North Philadelphia community."
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