Three thousand people partied at memorial block party in Florida, ended with seven arrests

A massive memorial block party with 3,000 attendees in Florida over the weekend resulted in seven people arrested, one man tasered, one shot, and one deputy injured.  

Shocking aerial and bodycam footage has been released showing thousands of locals in the streets in Southwest DeLand at a memorial block party for Kenya Alexander, a DeLand man who was murdered in 2008, from Saturday afternoon into Sunday. 

Helicopter footage shows how the party spanned several blocks on West Lisbon Parkway with hundreds of cars parked along a corner of a park. 

After the day event ended, the party took a violent turn where revelers threw bottles and bar stools at cops trying to break up the gathering around midnight, according to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office. 

While locals at the party said the gathering was peaceful and police incited the problems, the Volusia Sheriff’s Office released body camera and helicopter footage in response to show just how the party had gotten out of hand.  

A massive memorial block party of 3,000 in Florida over the weekend resulted in seven people arrested, one man being tasered and one deputy injured. Helicopter footage of the massive gathering above

Shocking aerial and bodycam footage has emerged showing thousands of locals in the streets in Southwest DeLand at a memorial block party for Kenya Alexander, a DeLand man who was murdered in 2008, from Saturday afternoon into Sunday

Shocking aerial and bodycam footage has emerged showing thousands of locals in the streets in Southwest DeLand at a memorial block party for Kenya Alexander, a DeLand man who was murdered in 2008, from Saturday afternoon into Sunday

Officers reported seeing a person in a car pointing a long gun out of a window and a loaded gun handed from one convicted felon to another. Aerial view of the party that wrapped around a Spring Hill park above

Officers reported seeing a person in a car pointing a long gun out of a window and a loaded gun handed from one convicted felon to another. Aerial view of the party that wrapped around a Spring Hill park above

Officers reported seeing a person in a car pointing a long gun out of a window and a loaded gun handed from one convicted felon to another. 

Police reported that when they tried to break up the crowd the agitated bystanders used ‘bottles, jars and bar stools against law enforcement as weapons or projectiles’. 

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ orders advise against large gatherings but do not actually ban them, making the block party legal. Cops were on site for traffic control purposes. 

Still, there were many attendees who cast blame on the police. 

‘This is what they do to black people. Have a block party Downtown and see what happens. … It’s not fair; it’s not fair,’ one party participant said to Beacon Online News. 

‘Can we enjoy ourselves? No. We are human too — black lives matter. Every life matters,’ another attendee added. 

Just after midnight deputies were walking in the 1200 block of South Delaware Avenue where there was a crowd of 1,500 people and officers saw two men exchanging a firearm.

Volusia Sheriff's County released bodycamera footage of the block party where seven people were arrested and bystanders threw items at police. An officer pictured detaining a party attendee on the ground

Volusia Sheriff’s County released bodycamera footage of the block party where seven people were arrested and bystanders threw items at police. An officer pictured detaining a party attendee on the ground

Cops pictured detaining someone at the block party with what appears to be a taser to his back

Cops pictured detaining someone at the block party with what appears to be a taser to his back

Deputies pictured walking through the crowd of partiers trying to make way for traffic

Deputies pictured walking through the crowd of partiers trying to make way for traffic 

Just after midnight deputies were walking in the 1200 block of South Delaware Avenue where there was a crowd of 1,500 people and officers saw two men exchanging a firearm. They arrested two men in the exchange - Charles Turner and Alphonso Parker. A picture of the firearm exchanged, a Ruger 9mm, above

Just after midnight deputies were walking in the 1200 block of South Delaware Avenue where there was a crowd of 1,500 people and officers saw two men exchanging a firearm. They arrested two men in the exchange – Charles Turner and Alphonso Parker. A picture of the firearm exchanged, a Ruger 9mm, above

When a deputy approached them and told them to drop the gun one of the men, later identified as Charles Turner, 37, threw the weapon and ran away, deputies say. 

Bodycamera footage shows a cop say ‘put your hands up’ and chase Turner to arrest him.  

He was later found, tasered for resisting arrest, and taken into custody and the firearm, a Ruger 9mm with a round in the chamber and the hammer cocked, was recovered. 

‘Several other deputies responded to help with the subject on the ground, who was resisting. He was tasered and ultimately taken into custody on several charges, as was the other man involved in the gun exchange,’ spokesman Andrew Gant said. 

He was charged with two counts of possession of a weapon/ammunition by a felon, tampering with evidence, inciting a riot and resisting an officer without violence. Turner was out on bond for other charges, deputies said. 

The other man in the incident, Alphonso Parker, 27, was also arrested and hit with the same charges except tampering with evidence.

When cops arrested the two men, two deputies were hit with a cup of alcohol. 

'Overall, deputies conducted 12 traffic stops, issued five citations, towed five vehicles, made seven arrests, recovered two firearms, some narcotics and $3,840 in cash,' Volusia County Sheriff's Office spokesman said

‘Overall, deputies conducted 12 traffic stops, issued five citations, towed five vehicles, made seven arrests, recovered two firearms, some narcotics and $3,840 in cash,’ Volusia County Sheriff’s Office spokesman said

As the person who threw the cup was taken into custody another male party attendee sucker punched one of the deputies.   

Another deputy and DeLand PD officer were hit with a bar stool and mason jar by other members of the crowd who immediately fled. Glass bottles were also being thrown at patrol vehicles in the street while arrests were being made, the sheriff’s office said.  

As a result one deputy suffered a minor knee injury and a DeLand cop suffered a minor head injury from being hit with the jar.  

Cops said on Sunday they learned that a 34-year-old Orlando man who attended the block party in DeLand was hospitalized for a gunshot wound to the foot.

He told Altamonte Springs police he ‘was drinking with friends and pretty inebriated when someone started shooting’, according to the incident report, but he was unsure of the exact location of the shooting. 

‘Overall, deputies conducted 12 traffic stops, issued five citations, towed five vehicles, made seven arrests, recovered two firearms, some narcotics and $3,840 in cash,’ Gant said. 

Charles Turner, 37

Alphonso Parker, 27

Cops said at the block party they saw two convicted felons passing a loaded handgun, a Ruger 9mm. Charles Turner, 37, (left) and Alphonso Parker, 27, (right) were arrested for having that gun. Turner was out on bond for other charges, deputies said

‘The behavior that occurred here overnight was dangerous, senseless, unacceptable and an embarrassment to our community,’ the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. 

‘Where else in Volusia County does a mob of thousands of people pack the streets? Where else are people throwing glass bottles at law enforcement and sucker punching deputies? How are we supposed to turn a blind eye to someone pointing a gun at a crowd, or two convicted felons exchanging a loaded gun right in front of our face? Our response to last night’s events in DeLand was not about race. It’s about public safety,’ Sheriff Chitwood said in a statement. 

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