Police Claim Mob Turned Violent, Club Disputes (B)

[crudo]

Police, club dispute events
17 arrested; officers say huge mob got violent, owner sees overreaction

By CHRIS TOGNERI
BEE STAFF WRITER
Last Updated: September 5, 2006, 05:57:19 AM PDT

Police said a crowd of 1,500 to 2,000 people turned violent in downtown Modesto on Sunday night, attacking police dogs and robbing pedestrians.

But a nightclub owner said the crowd consisted of fewer than 100 young people and that police overreacted.

The police version:

A crowd gathered Sunday evening in and around Club Velocity, a club for 18to 20-year-olds within the Palladium nightclub on 10th Street. A Bay Area rap group performed to a capacity crowd of about 300.

About 10:30 p.m., the overflow crowd outside became aggressive. Police who were patrolling downtown and officers called in for backup were outnumbered.

Officers ordered the group to leave, but the crowd advanced. Police used stun guns and pepper spray to protect themselves.

"Some officers were surrounded by hundreds during one fight but were able to force their way out of the crowd before being overrun," Lt. Adam McGill said.

About 70 officers responded to disperse the group, which had a "mob mentality," Sgt. Craig Gundlach said. "It was scary. Officers had crowds kicking and attacking police dogs. It was ridiculous."

Less than half of those officers were Modesto police. Dozens of officers and deputies from Stanislaus, Merced and San Joaquin counties also responded, Gundlach said.

Seventeen people were arrested. Charges included robbery, obstructing a police officer, unlawful assembly and failing to disperse.

"There was the potential last night to see injuries and violence like Modesto has not seen in a long time," Gundlach said.

This is not the first time officers have been attacked downtown, police said. Four officers were attacked, with two injured, on consecutive weekends in late November and early December. The violence prompted Chief Roy Wasden to meet with business owners and air his concerns.

Rudy Baca, who owns the Palladium Night Club on 10th Street and Modesto's Sports Bar and Grill on J Street, disputed the police account from Sunday night.

According to Baca, "50 to 60" young people were gathered in nearby 10th Street Plaza when police swarmed the area.

"There was not 2,000 kids outside, I guarantee that," he said. "You know what I did see? 2,000 cops. There were some kids in the plaza. Who cares? That's what the plaza is for. … Was it necessary to have 50 million cops out there? I thought it was outrageous."

Baca said there were no fights or problems inside any of his clubs all night.

No police officers were injured. Gundlach said some people in the crowd were bitten by dogs or had Tasers used on them and that police fired pepper spray into the crowd, but nobody was seriously injured.

While police and Baca disagree on Sunday night's events, they agree they must work together to create a safe downtown.

"I work so hard to work with these people, and they work very hard with me," Baca said. "What happened last night was an exception. It was a holiday. Don't let them blame it on me. We had the dance permit, we let them know everything we were doing. They were not prepared."

Gundlach said Sunday night had nothing to do with preparedness. "There is no way to prepare for that; you cannot handle a mob of 1,500 to 2,000 people," he said.

He added that there is "no battle" between the Police Department and nightclubs, but downtown business owners are largely responsible for the clientele they attract.

"It's the business owners who shape the face of the downtown entertainment district, (and) it's up to them the kind of crowds they want to attract," Gundlach said. "Forward progress is being made, but there's still more that needs to be done. That's obvious. Last night was a good indicator that we are not where we should be downtown."

Bee staff writer Chris Tognerican be reached at 578-2324 or [e-mail].

[crudo]

Downtown brawl still a puzzle
Police cite mob assaults, robberies;teen, parent say officers beat youths

By CHRIS TOGNERI
BEE STAFF WRITER
Last Updated: September 6, 2006, 05:37:53 AM PDT

As new details emerged from the Sunday night clash between a large group of teenagers and law enforcement, the question on Tuesday remained: Was it a case of overzealous officers manhandling a group of highschoolers, or a violent mob scene that spiraled out of control?

The problem started outside Club Velocity, a club within the Palladium nightclub on 10th Street in Modesto. The club staged a special event open to high school students age 15 to 17, police and club officials said. It was not a performance by a Bay Area rap group, as the police originally reported.

The DJ dance started about 7 p.m. The club quickly reached its capacity of about 300, and many highschoolers were shut out, witnesses said.

Those who could not get in stood outside. A large crowd began to form around the club, witnesses said. Some of the teenagers were upset because they could not get in.

About 10:30 p.m., the violence began.

According to police dispatch records, someone called 911 from a cellular phone and said that 15 people were beating a victim near the Taco Bell restaurant on I Street, Sgt. Craig Gundlach said. Taco Bell is a few blocks from the club.

Other reports of muggings and beatings came in, Gundlach said, prompting police to flood the downtown corridor.

The crowd grew into a "mob," Gundlach said. He compared it to "sideshows" or "hyphy" parties more commonly associated with Oakland and the East Bay during which large groups of people take over a public space — often a road or parking lot — and create a mobile, often violent, party involving alcohol, loud music and vandalism.

"This was developing into a hyphy event," Gundlach said. "In three separate attacks, we had nine victims of street robberies. All involved a large number of males that surrounded and attacked their victims."

All of the victims were females, and most were teenagers, some as young as 13, he said. No serious injuries were reported.

By 11:18 p.m., the crowd had become so violent, police said, they issued an 11-99 call, code for "officer needs help." Two minutes later, police went into a high-alert "condition yellow," Gundlach said, meaning officers no longer were responding to other calls, unless they were about crimes in progress.

Dozens of officers and deputies from Stanislaus, Merced and San Joaquin counties helped Modesto police. They arrested 17 people on charges of robbery, obstructing a police officer, unlawful assembly or failing to disperse.

But many witnesses said the police response was extreme.

Eric Whitehead, a 17-year-old independent studies student at Petersen Alternative Center for Education, said an officer broke his car window and dragged him out before handcuffing him and hitting him several times with a baton.

Desiree McGee, 16, a junior at Patterson High, said she and her four friends could not get into the club.

"We got there and the place was full, so a lot of kids were standing outside and a lot of them were angry," she said. "There were fights breaking out, police coming with dogs. It was crazy. It was crazier than it should have been for a high school night."

Other witnesses said police and private security guards appeared to be targeting black teenagers.

Cindy Harvey, a parent of a Patterson High student, said she saw a Latino guard spray Mace in a black teenager's face, then watched "10 police officers (hit) one teenage little boy" with billy clubs after he had fallen in the street.

Police said their response was appropriate.

"You cannot dispute there was a mob of people that downtown Modesto has not seen before," Gundlach said. "We know the downtown well and the kind of problems that can arise. We would not come out in force for some small, teen, high school event. That's ridiculous."

Will city video offer clues?

Evidence of what happened may have been videotaped. The city has security cameras in Tenth Street Plaza, and Police Chief Roy Wasden has requested copies of the video, Gundlach said.

Gundlach said he did not know whether the tapes would be released to the public.

Also Tuesday, Club Velocity owner Rudy Baca met with Wasden and other police officials to discuss the night's events. Gundlach would not discuss details from the meeting but said police and business owners all want the same thing: a safe downtown.

"There was a lot of passion in that (meeting), a lot of concern," Gundlach said.

Bee staff writer Chris Togneri can be reached at 578-2324 or [e-mail].