UPDATE 8/28/2023: Eight people have been arrested in connection with fights that happened in downtown Springfield over the weekend.
The eight people arrested and charged were:
- Dylan Dixon, 19 – resisting arrest and obstructing a city officer
- Floyd Humphrey III, 27 – unlawful use of a weapon
- Anthony Humphrey, 31 – resisting arrest, obstructing a city officer and trespassing
- Shayla McShane, 21 – trespassing
- Matthew Price, 30 – refusing to disperse and resisting arrest
- Sho Talley, 25 – obstructing a city officer and trespassing
- Fradreico Walton, 27 – affray
- Maliyah Wells, 21 – obstructing a city officer
According to a press release from the Springfield Police Department, officers patrolling downtown responded to a disturbance on Patton Avenue.
Officers found Humphrey III and Walton arguing outside ZAN as hundreds of patrons left the club.
As officers were breaking up the argument between Humphrey III and Walton, people in the crowd started throwing glass bottles at them. Anthony Humphrey and Dixon were arrested after a brief struggle.
Officers from surrounding departments responded to help after more fights broke out in the area. One suspect broke a window in a police car and ran off.
An unrelated citizen had a medical emergency nearby, and officers cleared the lot so crews could respond. Wells, Talley and McShane refused to leave and were arrested for trespassing, and Price was taken into custody for dancing on a patrol car.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Several people were arrested after police responded to a disturbance in downtown Springfield overnight.
According to the Springfield Police Department, officers responded to a disturbance in the 300 block of S. Patton Ave.
Several fights broke out as people left the businesses in the area, and officers called for backup.
SPD said some people threw things at officers. One officer went to the hospital with minor injuries and a window was broken out of a police car during the incident.
“This is something that really put our officers in danger and put the public in danger,” said Justin Hollingsworth, the Vice President of the Springfield Police Officer’s Association. “This wasn’t just a couple of fistfights that broke out that happens every night down there. This was something more.”
Shards of glass remained on Patton Avenue after police said a large crowd created a dangerous situation for officers, the public and businesses Saturday night.
“People kind of joined in and they had to use mace to disperse the crowd. And as that happened, people started retaliating against the officers,” said Rob Hoerr, a bartender downtown. “I witnessed a couple of people down the street here throwing glass bottles and glassware from one of the other bars and patios at the officers trying to arrest some of the suspects.”
Hoerr said he never wants to see situations like this downtown.
“It makes it look like downtown isn’t safe and it is safe. And when something like this happens, it hurts the other businesses,” Hoerr said. “Because people don’t want to be down here and just enjoy the nightlife and enjoy the restaurants.”
Justin Hollingsworth said this behavior is not necessarily uncommon for downtown.
“But for it to escalate and turn into, you know, for lack of a better word, a riot or a mob. Fortunately, those things don’t happen all the time,” Hollingsworth said. “But it is kind of becoming more frequent.”
To keep the public safe, some Springfield police officers are stationed downtown on weekends, something Hoerr said he is thankful for.
“I think they’re trying to do everything that they can to maintain some semblance of order. And when something like this happens, it unfortunately kind of looks like there can’t be enough police presence,” Hoerr said. “And on any other given night, it’s normally more than enough. And they handle themselves very well.”
