Shots Fired Downtown On Christmas Night: St. Pete Police
ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Officers responded to a report of shots fired on Christmas night, where large groups of teenagers gathered near or at the St. Pete Pier, authorities said.
The shots were reported just before 10 p.m. in the 200 block of 2nd Street N., Yolanda Fernandez, St. Petersburg Police Department’s community awareness division manager, told Patch by email.
There were no injuries and officers didn’t find evidence that any cars or buildings were hit.
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A teenager was briefly detained, but officers didn’t find a gun, Fernandez said. The boy was released to his mother.
As in years past, large groups of teens gathered near St. Petersburg’s waterfront parks, including the Pier, police said.
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Other than reports of shots fired Wednesday night, there was one fight involving some of the teens reported, she said.
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Last year, at least 150 teens were kicked off the Pier and officers prevented youths from entering the tourist destination late Christmas night. Three teens were also arrested after a fight broke out.
This Christmas, “no one was kept from going to the Pier,” Fernandez said, adding, “Police had a large presence throughout the downtown area and we believe this helped keep everything calmer.”
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