Over 1,000 Teens Storm Icon Park in Orlando as Fights Break Out and Deputies Are Injured, Leading to 9 Arrests

NEED TO KNOW

• Nine teenagers were arrested on Saturday during a planned "takeover" event at Icon Park in Orlando, Fla.

• According to the Orange County Sheriff's Office, fights broke out and two deputies were injured

• The sheriff urged parents to monitor their children's social media after the event was promoted online

Multiple teenagers were arrested over the weekend after fights broke out at an Orlando, Fla., entertainment district during a planned “takeover” event.

By around 7:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, April 25, more than 1,000 teenagers were on site at Icon Park, according to a statement shared with PEOPLE from Florida's Orange County Sheriff's Office (OCSO). The large gathering required a “substantial deputy response” involving 54 Orange County deputies, an OCSO spokesperson said.

“Deputies had to break up fights and help direct the crowd out of the area,” the statement said.

That evening, OCSO reports that two deputies were injured and taken to a local hospital. However, they “were treated and released and are expected to be ok,” per the spokesperson.

A total of nine arrests were made, with charges ranging from battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting officer with violence, resisting officer without violence, affray and trespass after warning. The arrestees ranged in age from 13 to 16.

“I'm sure a majority of the kids who went there didn't go there to cause problems, but a lot of them did,” Sheriff John Mina said during a press conference on Monday, attended by the Orlando Sentinel . “Some of these are very, very serious crimes…it comes with significant penalties and could, you know, ruin a young life.”

He added that the “takeover” was promoted across social media and the sheriff's office was aware of the event before Saturday evening. He suggested that parents monitor their children's social media to see whether they're aware of such events and warn them against attending.

The sheriff also mentioned that the department is aware of another event scheduled for May 9 at an unspecified location.

“To those people who might plan on going there, just know that we are going to have dozens and dozens of deputy sheriffs there,” he said. “We will have transport vans ready to take you away in handcuffs if you break the law.”

Icon Park, home to the Orlando Eye Ferris wheel, is a 20-acre, open-air, free entertainment district for all ages. The site offers a variety of attractions, activities, restaurants, shopping and live entertainment.

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PEOPLE has reached out to a representative for Icon Park for comment.

Tavorian Dade, 14, tells WESH he was one of the teens arrested during the incident.

"I'm doing a little good, but my back is kind of hurting. My leg's still hurting, but that's it," Dade says.

He claims he was defending himself during a fight with another teen when a deputy intervened.

"He didn't say his name, so I thought I was getting jumped. But I wasn't. I looked behind me. It was a cop. Then I tried to stop, and then he just got me. So after that, I got back up, and I didn't resist right then and there," Dade says.

Dade's grandmother, Tamika Martel, said the deputy went too far: "I believe once he got him on the ground, once he tackled him, and I feel like he could have just cuffed him from there. He picked him up, and he slammed him [again].”

She adds, “They're not grown men. They're children. If he had children, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't want nobody to treat his children that way.”

Dade's family says the arresting deputy later apologized to them about what happened. However, they still plan to file a complaint with the sheriff's office.

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