BLUE ASH, Ohio — Body camera footage released by police shows the moment officers responded to panic at the annual Red, White & Blue Ash celebration Friday night.
Six people, including four juveniles, were arrested for disorderly conduct or inducing panic after police said roughly "400 unaccompanied youth" set off fireworks in the crowd.
The commotion began around 10:30 p.m. — just as the event's fireworks spectacle came to a close — according to body camera footage, which shows police encounter a large group of young people gathered underneath the Summit Park pavilion. The video shows two girls in the center of the gathering appearing to fight one another. Police arrest both, body camera video shows.
As officers work to disperse the crowd, one piece of body camera video shows an officer spraying what appears to be pepper spray into the group, breaking some of them up.
Around that same time, footage shows two girls walking up to officers, alerting them to a problem.
"There's people over there ... they keep throwing it at people," one girl tells an officer.
"Throwing what?" the officer asks.
"Fireworks," she and another girl answer.
WATCH: Video shows officers breaking up a fight and making arrests
Around two minutes later, the video shows officers running towards an area where three loose fireworks appear to fly through a crowd. Soon after, police ran after and arrested a teen.
As the teen is being brought to another location in handcuffs, body camera video captures the officer saying, "You can't be doing this kind of stuff."
The teen responded, "It's the Fourth of July, brother."
Body camera video captures several more fireworks being fired off that night after the event wrapped up.
One of the people arrested was a 13-year-old accused of setting off a firework that burned a Blue Ash officer's leg. A juvenile court magistrate dismissed assault and disorderly conduct charges against the teen, but he still faces an inducing panic charge.
A 14-year-old was also charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest in connection to the fireworks and subsequent panic. Police said a 15-year-old and a 16-year-old were charged with disorderly conduct. In addition, 18-year-olds were also charged with disorderly conduct: Dononvan Hayden-Thomason and Jerone Behanan.
All of the footage captures moments after the fireworks show, but WCPO has also obtained video of crowds running before the show after hearing fireworks that they thought were gunshots.
I was at Red, White & Blue Ash Friday night when the incidents took place. I recall seeing it happen with my own eyes three times before the fireworks show began — once near the food vendors, once near the rides and one last time near the luxury apartment building on Summit Parkway. During each chaotic moment, I heard several people scream about a shooting or a person with a gun.
Police said they have not received any reports of injuries, outside of the officer, caused by the fireworks.
"We understand this was a scary situation for many, and we hear you," said Blue Ash Police Chief Roger Pohlman. "It was an unfolding situation, and our officers worked quickly to apprehend the individuals involved."
Pohlman said Blue Ash police will review its security protocols to "ensure the safety and well-being of attendees and our officers," as they do with all events.
