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Fight Leads to Closure of Southside Streets Last Night

The large fight that caused police to shut down Durant Avenue for an hour late last night left one youth in the hospital, police said.

More than 10 police officers responded to a call by a local beat officer at approximately 10 p.m. of a disturbance with a crowd near 2715 Durant at a party with approximately 300 people outside and inside, said Berkeley police Lt. Wesley Hester.

The fight, which involved between 30 and 50 people, broke out after the first police responded to the call, he said.

“Shortly after, a fight broke out and people were throwing bottles and fighting,” Hester said. “People starting running around when the police started showing up.”

Telegraph Avenue between Bancroft Avenue and Durant and Durant between Dana Street and Bowditch Street was blocked for approximately one hour as police dispersed the crowd.

“It was a melee,” said Berkeley police Lt. Andrew Greenwood.

One injury was reported by a 14 year-old boy who was assaulted by an unknown blunt instrument, he said.

“He went down and blacked out ... and awoke to being kicked by certain people,” Hester said.

The youth was transported to Children’s Hospital and Research Center in Oakland and is being treated for head injuries, he said.

Although no one was arrested, Hester said they have descriptions of two teenage suspects.

“I’m going to speculate there was some tension between individuals,” Hester said. “Residents from Oakland and Berkeley were there and there was tension between several individuals that evolved into a large scale fight.”

Hester said the fight stemmed from a large crowd at a party hosted by the Black Student Union at Merritt College.

However, Anthony Powell dean of student support services at the college said the group could not be involved officially.

“The Black Student Union, as with all organizations over the summer, is currently not functioning,” Powell said.

The road was reopened sometime after midnight, Hester said, after the crowd was dispersed.

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