Overview
- After Milwaukee County’s Puerto Rican Day festival ended, a large unsanctioned crowd formed at 12th and Mitchell on Sunday evening and stayed in the street for about four hours.
- Participants drove cars, trikes and motorcycles in risky maneuvers including doughnuts and burnouts, and one trike struck several people though officials reported no serious injuries.
- Officers sealed off access to the area and largely contained the scene instead of immediately dispersing the crowd, a tactic that some witnesses said looked like inaction and included an officer photographed taking pictures of the gathering.
- Milwaukee police say enforcement from the scene produced one arrest, nine citations and five towed vehicles, and Mayor Johnson said he will discuss the department’s approach to enforcement.
- Street takeovers are illegal and have recurred in Milwaukee, so the incident is likely to prompt local debate over tougher penalties, policing tactics and how to protect neighbors during large unsanctioned gatherings.