A block party in central Florida went off the rails Saturday, as the thousands of people who attended the event ended up clashing with authorities, resulting in a handful of injuries to deputies.
According to Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, roughly 3,000 people gathered at different locations in DeLand, Florida for Saturday’s party.
Authorities say the gatherings were relatively “uneventful” during the day, but things took a turn for the worse at night.
At around 10:30 p.m., officers say a passenger in a car pointed a rifle at police and pedestrians gathered at a gas station.
Just after midnight, in an area where 1,500 people had gathered, authorities say two men, later identified as Alphonso Parker and Charles Turner, were seen exchanging a handgun.
Turner ended up fleeing and tossing the gun, but was later arrested and charged with two counts of possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, tampering with evidence, inciting a riot and resisting an officer without violence.
Parker, police say, was arrested on the same charges, excluding tampering with evidence.
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During the arrests is when deputies say they were attacked.
According to officers, alcohol was thrown at two deputies, one deputy was “sucker punched” by someone in the crowd and another deputy and DeLand police officer were hit with a bar stool and mason jar.
On top of this, glass bottles were thrown at patrol vehicles.
The deputies and officers that were attacked sustained minor injuries.
Multiple people were taken into custody by the end of the night.
On Sunday, officers say a 34-year-old man who attended the party was admitted to a hospital with a gunshot wound to the foot.
According to an incident report, the man said he was drinking with friends when someone began shooting. He fled the area with everyone else when he felt pain in his foot.
Police say the victim refused to cooperate with an investigation and did not pursue charges.
