On Monday, after the M. L. King Day Parade, a series of fights and disturbances broke out in East Tampa. Although Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was an advocate for non-violence, 11 teenagers were arrested for fighting. Crowds watching the fights swelled to nearly 200 people at times.

According to police, the fights began around 3:30 p.m., Monday in and around the Belmont Heights Estates. The crowds simply kept moving from one block to the next.
“As soon as the police were out of sight, fighting erupted again,” a spokesperson for the Tampa Police Department said.

Some of the youngsters were charged with an “affray.” An affray is a criminal offense generally defined as the fighting of two or more persons in a public place that disturbs others; a type of disorderly conduct.

Joshua R. Cobb

The eleven teenagers arrested were: Emanuel Watson (pictured above), 19, and 18-year-old Joshua R. Cobb were charged with an affray.

Police arrested, Anissia C. Davis, Tequila L. Owens, and Samuel L. Culver, all 17-year-olds. Davis was charged with an affray. Owens and Culver were charged with disorderly conduct.

Three 16-year-olds were also arrested: Julisa Duncan was charged with resisting arrest without violence and trespassing after warning. Cameshia King and Deshawn Singfield were charged with an affray.

Police also arrested three 15-year-old teenagers. Micheal Singleton was charged with trespassing after warning; Dontavious Throw was charged with an affray; and Kevondre R. Thomas was charged with resisting arrest without violence and violation of probation for the unlawful possession of a firearm.