Throughout the day, officers from several North Texas police departments worked together to thwart another large gathering of individuals after a similar event in Mansfield led to significant safety concerns.
As we previously reported, Mansfield police responded to Katherine Rose Park on Monday evening for a large Spring Break gathering. An estimated 1200 kids were at the park. As officers attempted to disperse the rowdy crowd, someone fired shots and the crowd panicked. The crowd was dispersed without any injuries.
According to Mansfield City Manager Joe Smolinski, the “party planners” from Monday’s event were planning a second event this evening in Grand Prairie.
“After working so closely with MPD Monday evening, Grand Prairie has decided to close their park. In response, the group shifted their plan to a park in Arlington. Then there was mention of moving it to Chandler Park in Mansfield, but once they realized we were aware of their intentions, they decided to look for a park in Fort Worth. All of our police agencies are working closely together to make sure that we do everything we can to keep them from enjoying a repeat performance.”
Mansfield police maintained a presence at several locations throughout their city to stop any potential gatherings from taking place.
Mansfield PD said in a Facebook comment: “A group of party planners showed up at Chandler Park and were turned away by MPD. Disappointed but determined, they made their way to Walmart. Once there, MPD turned them away again. The following post immediately showed up on social media: “They got swat teams and #### it’s closed we gone.” Mansfield PD seemed to indicate the group had set their intentions on a park in Fort Worth, but FWPD was also made aware of the plans.
“If we work together, we can continue to enjoy our exceptional park system with our friends and families,” concluded Smolinski.
