WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — A fight that broke out during a party Tuesday night in Winston-Salem has raised concerns in the community, prompting officials to take action.
The Winston-Salem Police Department (WSPD) said it aims to have a more significant police presence during summer gatherings after being called to the 1800 block of North Patterson Avenue about a brawl with weapons around 6 p.m.
When police responded to the scene, nearly 200 people were present. As officers worked to break up fights, multiple people jumped on police cars while others recorded the situation. Police said they had to call for backup due to the number of people not cooperating. Eventually, officers were able to break everything up.
A nearby neighbor saw everything go down, and a police captain shared what efforts WSPD will take moving forward.
In a video, you could see someone dancing on the railroad tracks with dozens of people cheering them on.
Some people said they knew something terrible would happen based on the number of people there.
Ministry for Christ Church is about a block from where the party happened. The pastor there said North Patterson Avenue keeps getting worse and worse. She said she wants something to change.
"It’s very disappointing, very frustrating, and there’s no need for it. They can gather together for the wrong things instead of the right things. I wish they would gather together and fast and pray to make Patterson Avenue a better area," Bishop Andrea Nash shared.
Winston-Salem police said a patrol car received minor damage.
No injuries were reported.
People at this party said this stemmed from the Ram Fest that was taking place at Winston-Salem State University.
We contacted the university for a comment and were told that this incident was unrelated to the school or the official Ram Fest event.
Police said they need the communities' help identifying people in the videos posted online.
They also don’t want anyone posting videos or pictures from the incident because they feel it encourages negative behavior.
"If you notice no arrests were made last night, the arrest will still be coming. Hopefully, in the future, it's more of de-escalating and getting the crowd out of there because, again, with the number of officers versus the crowd that we had, the safety of the public comes first. So, if we can get them out of there and narrow it down, we can always follow up on the investigation later," Captain Michael Knight with WSPD said.
Police said this is actually the second large gathering they've responded to this week alone; there was another large party at a park on Monday.
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