‘Riot’ outside skating rink draws up to 500, leading to 29 arrests, Florida cops say

The cancellation of a party at a Florida skating rink escalated into a massive brawl, when up to 500 people responded to a social media call to “confront law enforcement,” according to investigators.

Twenty-nine people — 26 of them juveniles — were arrested in the resulting melee, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said in a May 20 news release.

Video of the fighting shared on YouTube shows one person was sent sailing through a plate glass window, while some young women were seen being pulled along the ground by their hair.

It happened around 9 p.m. on Saturday, May 18, at Astro Skate of Brandon, a roller skating rink about a 15-mile drive east from downtown Tampa.

“The fight erupted apparently because a planned after-party was canceled. Astro Skate requires individuals hosting private parties to hire an off-duty deputy for the event, which these individuals failed to do. Consequently, the party was canceled, and their money was refunded,” the sheriff’s office said.

“Following this, the ‘party group’ took to social media asking people to come and riot at the business and confront law enforcement, which led to a large crowd gathering and fighting in the parking lot. When deputies arrived, they encountered a crowd of approximately 400-500 people.”

Deputies tried to disperse the crowd, but the fighting continued, including vandalism and thefts at surrounding businesses, including a convenience store, officials said.

“One group broke away and attacked a juvenile inside the Time Out Barber Shop,” the sheriff’s office said. “The victim was beaten and thrown through the shop’s plate-glass window. The victim was transported to Tampa General Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries but had a severe cut on his hand.”

The 29 people arrested are accused of refusing to comply with orders to leave the area, officials said.

Six adults were taken to jail and the 23 juveniles were taken to a juvenile assessment center.

“I am outraged by the violent and disruptive behavior that targeted hard-working people and businesses and created harm, fear and chaos in our community. Let me make this unequivocally clear: this violent and destructive behavior will never, under any circumstances, be tolerated,” Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said in the release.

“As you can see in the horrifying footage, these individuals had no regard for safety, our deputies had to step in to defuse the situation professionally and swiftly.”

This story was originally published May 20, 2024 at 12:03 PM with the headline "‘Riot’ outside skating rink draws up to 500, leading to 29 arrests, Florida cops say."