REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. - Police in Rehoboth Beach used a taser on one man to break up the latest group fight on the city's popular boardwalk over the holiday weekend.
Officers arrested four males, including three juveniles, following the fight on the boards near Delaware Avenue around 9 p.m. Monday, Chief Keith Banks said. It's unclear what started the fight. This marks the second group fight on the boards in nearly two weeks.
Police charged Devontae L. Massey, 19, of Bridgeville, with offensive touching. The three juveniles, all age 16, were charged with disorderly conduct. One of the juveniles is from Newark, Del., and two others are from Philadelphia, Banks said.
The chief said he was not sure who was tasered as he did not have the final police report yet.
"I'm always asking - where is the parents' involvement in these cases? That alarms me," said Banks.
While he did not have exact figures, the chief said the number of fights on the boardwalk is on the rise this year. Banks said it's difficult to track fights because people involved can be charged with a series of different crimes.
On June 18th, a separate fight started on the boardwalk near Wilmington Avenue and exploded into a fist fight at the First Street Station shopping complex. Officers used pepper spray to break up the brawl. Banks said the fight appeared to be a gang initiation between rivals the Bloods and the Crips. However, the chief said the latest incident does not have gang connections.
"Last night's fights, at this point in time, I have not heard anything to say it's gang-related," Banks said. "It just looks like some individuals that were engaged in a fighting behavior."
