2 men charged after fight in Brookhaven city park
Published 10:12 pm Friday, November 17, 2017
Two Brookhaven men have been arrested on charges of aggravated assault and the use of a deadly weapon in connection with a fight that started at a city park and ended at Cloverdale Apartments and police hope the public can help put more behind bars.
Fredrick Louis Smith, 20, of 217 Rogers Circle, and Malcolm Tyler, 24, of 964 Sanders Lane, were picked up by police Thursday night following reports of gunfire at Cloverdale, said Police Chief Kenneth Collins.
Collins said investigators have viewed an edited version of a video of the fight which shows about 15 adults and juveniles at Bicentennial Park who were involved in the fights.
He wants to see the original.
Investigators hope to identify everyone in the video and expect more arrests to be made in the case.
“We’re going to prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law,” Collins said. “Our beautiful city parks are made for family and community gatherings. I’m not going to put up with it.”
Collins urged those who see the video, which was posted to Facebook, to take screenshots of any threats by individuals involved or who may try to entice others to fight or assault others.
If anyone has the unedited video or screenshots of threats, he asks them to bring them to the police department or to call investigators at 601-833-2424.
“I’m going to do my best to prosecute anyone who threatens the safety and wellbeing of the people of Brookhaven, whether it’s adults or kids,” he said. “I won’t tolerate these kinds of actions in our beautiful city.”
Collins said patrol is being stepped up in Cloverdale.
“If you don’t live in these areas, you won’t be allowed to sit in cars listening to loud music, drinking and smoking,” he said.
Police are also patrolling churches in the city during services and will have a bigger presence in Brookhaven schools.
“We stepped up all that,” he said. “We’re doing our best to keep our city safe.”
Collins said the park fight ended with several individuals treated for minor injuries.
“I won’t allow a few people to keep causing problems in our beautiful city,” he said. “I love this town and I’m not going to let a few people hurt it. They will be arrested if they’re caught causing problems.”