Cameron Knight

cknight@enquirer.com

After gunshots, multiple juvenile arrests and several fights in and around Taste of Cincinnati Saturday night, Councilwoman Yvette Simpson was moved to take action.

Police responded to reports of gunshots just before 10 p.m. Saturday. At the scene, a 15-year-old boy was arrested.

Police have not confirmed the teen fired the shots, but a weapon was recovered, Lt. Steve Saunders said. The boy is facing felony charges of carrying a concealed weapon and having weapons under disability.

He has also been charged with obstructing official business. The teen has not been identified by officials.

After the initial arrest, officers worked to disperse the crowd on Fountain Square.

Saunders said during that time a 17-year-old boy was also arrested and charged with resisting arrest and failure to disperse, both misdemeanors.

Councilwoman Yvette Simpson took to social media Sunday asking for volunteers that day to help keep teens at the event safe. In a Facebook post, she recounted what she saw Saturday night.

"Last night I sent a young woman home in an Uber who tapped me on the shoulder afraid because girls were trying to jump her. I called dispatch to break up a series of fights near the Kroger building downtown," Simpson wrote. "We need a Teen Pavilion at the Taste of Cincinnati and volunteers to help law enforcement make sure our kids are engaged during the event and safely escorted home."

Just after 10 p.m. near the corner of Sixth and Vine streets, a female officer reported being assaulted, Saunders said. Police communications indicated she was not seriously injured.

Details about other arrests made after the crowds moved away from Fountain Square have not yet been released.

Last year, police reported that 19 juveniles were arrested Saturday and Sunday at Taste of Cincinnati.

In addition to the arrest of two adults for disorderly conduct on Saturday, 10 juveniles were arrested for curfew violations and nine were arrested for other offenses, Cincinnati police Sgt. Donna Hurst said at the time.

Even taking the two adults into account, all of those arrested at the event in 2015 were 19 years old or younger.

"I asked the Chamber to partner on this year and was given several excuses about why we couldn't do it," Simpson said in her post. "I warned what would happen if we didn't proactively engage our kids in events and festivals. I'm not asking anymore. Next year, we will implement this plan and have a safe, engaging event that includes our kids."

In an interview with The Enquirer, Simpson said around 25 volunteers from the community rallied together Sunday night to help her monitor Taste of Cincinnati.

"We can be another set of eyes and ears for our officers," she said explaining she was proud of her community who gave up their Sunday on short notice to help.

She also expressed her frustration with not being able to create a teen pavilion but said that she's hopeful that recent changes at the Chamber of Commerce will help the initiative gain traction.

"This year, I'm actually not going to accept anything other than, 'Yes.' We're going to do it next year," Simpson said. "Our officers were really supportive of the idea because they really don't want to have to arrest kids."

She said teens often don't have the money to buy food at the event, and the entertainment options are not targeted at that age group.

"We have to find a way to engage these kids in a positive way," she said. "We can't be fearful of what happens if we do that because we see what happens when we do nothing."