BALTIMORE – Two juveniles were shot as police officers were breaking up a large fight Sunday night near the Inner Harbor, according to police.
Police said a 14-year-old and a 16-year-old were shot shortly after 9 p.m. in the 400 block of East Pratt Street near Shake Shack. One was shot in the leg and the other in the back. They are stable, police said.
At one point, police said more than 200 juveniles were gathering near the inner harbor when a fight broke out.
When officers were on the melee, and arresting one involved in the fight, police said shots were fired.
Police then arrested a person who rode a dirt bike into the police headquarters parking lot with a loaded handgun.
At the same time, another person, matching the witnesses’ description, was arrested at Light and Lombard streets with a loaded “ghost gun.”
#BREAKING There is a heavy police presence near the Inner Harbour.
We are working to get more information @wjz pic.twitter.com/DX8iQDQS3B
— Jessica Albert (@JessicaAlbertTV) April 10, 2023
“This speaks to a larger problem, that young people have easy access to these firearms and would use them indiscriminately, shooting people within 30 feet of 25 to 30 police officers who were in the area,” said Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison. “They don’t care about the consequences and have no respect for human life or the authority to carry out this blatantly cowardly act in front of police officers.”
Harrison said more than 40 police officers responded, from Baltimore City Police, Baltimore City Public Schools Police, MTA and MDTA.
“We’re going to do everything in our power to make sure we’re protecting the lives of our young people,” said Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott. “We will not tolerate this type of behavior.”
We have reported on the continued increase in violence among teenagers.
Last week, the police found a large gathering of teenagers in the Inner Harbor at night. No one was arrested and there were no injuries, according to police.
Since the beginning of 2023, five children under the age of 18 have been shot and killed and 23 others have been shot and wounded, according to Baltimore police.
On Memorial Day last year, Neal Mack, 17, was killed, and two others were wounded, in a shooting in the Inner Harbor. Police charged a 15-year-old with murder.
Mayor Scott said this spring and summer there will be curfews across the city.
“I want everyone to hear me and hear me clearly,” Mayor Scott said. “We’re going back to the old days. We’re going to be enforcing a youth curfew as we move into the final months of spring and summer.”
CBS Baltimore staff
